Wizard of Zero
by Fenikkusumaru
Summary: The magical Wizard Rings: It contains the power of the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. From the Sands of Despair, a familiar with modern magic is unearthed. He is known as the Jewel of Hope: Kamen Rider Wizard.
1. The Wizard of Zero

**Fenikkusumaru: **HELLO FANFIC READERS! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

**Serpentdragon:** Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Riders, Kaijin, and allies of all ages, please give a warm welcome to our returning champion: Fenikkusumaru!

**Audience:** YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

*Audience stands in ovation and fireworks and confetti go off.*

**SD:** How's that for a welcome back, aibou?

**Fen:** I feel great to be back man. Like the Phoenix, I've risen from the ashes.

**SD:** *Nods* Indeed. It's sure good to have you back for good this time.

**Fen:** Yeah. And to celebrate my return, I'm putting out a whole lot of new stories out on my homepage!

**SD:** Yep! And a bunch on my page as well! In preparation for Fen's return, he and I have begun working a whole bunch of Kamen Rider crossover stories, including two completely original Rider series, for you guys to enjoy, all leading up to one very special event!

**Fen:** That's right! Plus I got a new chapter of GX: Society of Light and the new 5D's sequel too!

**SD:** So, Fen, do you give them a little sneak peak of what we have in store for them?

**Fen:** I sure can! We've got some Kamen Rider crossovers going on. And they are:

Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin (Kamen Rider Kabuto x Advance Wars: Days of Ruin)  
Kamen Rider OOO: Unlimited Adventure (Kamen Rider OOO x One Piece: Unlimited Adventure  
The Wizard of Zero (Kamen Rider Wizard x Familiar of Zero)

**SD:** And as for our original Rider stories, the first we have Kamen Rider Access, a story full of advanced technology, mind–controlling cyborgs, and espionage thrills as Kurogasa becomes a spy and fights the evil Bioroid Dominion and the criminal syndicate NOVA along with the mysterious Kamen Rider Infiltrate and Kamen Rider Secure. Next, in Kamen Rider Funk & Soul, Kurogasa and Koji step into platform shoes as the twin Riders Kamen Rider Funk and Kamen Rider Soul, princes of a groovy kingdom where disco never died as they fight against the monstrous Jiveless who threaten to darken their joyful land!

**Fen:** So now we got Blade, Kabuto, Kiva, W, OOO, Wizard, Duelist, Funk/Soul, and Access… hey… you thinking what I'm thinking?

**SD:** *Grin* you bet I am… Alright, guys, count up how many Rider stories that is right there? Notice anything about that number?

**Fen:** We'll let you ponder for a bit. Anyways, like I said, I got a new chapter of GX: Society of Light and the new 5D's sequel too!

**SD:** *Whispers* If you guys want a hint, look through mine and Fen's stories. There's a clue in one of them… *Wink* …But yes, as you guys can see, we have lots of goodies coming your way!

**Fen:** Now keep in mind people, I also got school going on, so I gotta give attention to that. I don't want to leave the moment I get back.

**SD:** Mhmm… I know what you mean, buddy, finishing up school myself. But don't worry guys, while chapters may not come flying out superfast, we'll keep pushing to give you guys what you want.

**Fen:** Other than that, it's great to be back.

**SD:** Alright, we'll I think that's enough talk for now. So, aibou, what do you say we get this party started, eh?

**Fen:** Let's do this! Here it is! One of my new stories! Or in the case, for my GX story, here's the new chapter!

**SD:** *Takes out Double Driver and Cyclone Memory* Shall we?

**Fen:** *Takes out Double Driver and Joker Memory* We shall.

**CYCLONE!**

**JOKER!**

**Both:** Henshin!

**CYCLONE–JOKER!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider Wizard. All creative rights go to Shotaro Ishinomori. I also do not own Familiar of Zero. All creatives rights go to Noboru Yamaguchi.

* * *

WizarDriver: check. WizarSwordGun: check. All Wizard Rings including movie ones: check. Drago Timer: check. AxCalibur: check. Yosh, I'm all good to go.

Oh, hi guys, I'm Kurogasa Kururugi. I'm just your average 17 year old living in Tokyo who's going to a Kamen Rider convention today with all of my Kamen Rider Wizard merchandise after saving a lot of money due to some part time jobs I work at. Even though it was tedious, it was worth it. I have brown hair in the style that somewhat resembles Kira Yamato's from Gundam Seed and have icy blue eyes. For my clothes, I wore a gold shirt with a silverish–white trench coat over it, and I wear light–blue denim jeans, white socks, and black shoes.

Checking everything again, just to be sure I got 'em all, I grinned, knowing that today was going to be a great day. So with that, I put all my stuff in the duffel bag, went out the door of my house, locking it, and walked on my to the convention center to enjoy with other Kamen Rider enthusiasts like myself.

It was just like any other normal day in the city. I was walking, minding my own business until I saw something weird. It was a green oval like thing floating. I closed my eyes, shaking my head to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but when I opened them again, it was still there. When I looked at the other people, they didn't see it. They were minding their own business as usual. How could they not see it? It's right there in the middle of broad daylight! So being the curious guy I am, I walked up to and poked it. It rippled for a few seconds, before it became smooth again. What the heck _is_ this thing anyways? So this, time I decided to stick my finger in the oval thing. And do you know what happened?

"What in–!"

That's right. My finger got stuck, and soon my hand, then my arm started to get sucked in. "Crap! H-Hey somebody help me!" I shouted but no one paid me any mind. What's wrong with these people?! Are they deaf?! What part of 'Somebody help me', don't they understand?! Then after that, my entire body got sucked in along with my bag, as I yelled out, "This isn't what I had in miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind!"

I closed my eyes for a while, not knowing what's going to happen next. When I opened my eyes, I saw that both my duffel bag and I were floating in this black void. What the heck's going on?

**I beg of you…**

"Oh great… what is it _now_?!" I groaned.

**My servant that exists in the vast universe… Heed my call, I wish from the bottom of my heart…**

"Where the heck is that voice coming from?" I said as I looked around.

**Answer to my guidance and appear!**

When that was said, I was engulfed by a bright white light…

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical Wizard Rings: It contains the power of the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of Despair, a familiar with modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the Jewel of Hope: Kamen Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!) **The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai) **Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame) **Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "2" He flips his Hand Author to his left. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde) **The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.**  
(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~) **In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!) **As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Wizard of Zero

Everything was black at first and I felt like I was drifting through space. Gravity then decided that I had enough of being free from its grasp and promptly had be drop. I hit… the ground? I hit something in any case and something exploded. Smoke was flying in all directions. I coughed and hacked, trying to keep the smoke out of my lungs and the grass out of my eyes.

Wait a minute… grass?

And wait, are those birds singing? Well, at least the sun was shining. The only thing different was that I was surrounded by people my age or younger, but they were wearing matching white shirts, black pants, skirts for the girls, and cloaks over their shoulders with a gold brooch of a pentagram inside of it… wait a minute… WHERE THE HECK, _AM_ I?!

Looking around, I saw my gym bag next to me. Then off to the side, a middle age man probably in his 40's, being bald, but had hair around his head, wearing glasses, and robes of some sort, holding a staff in one hand, looked on in surprise and interest.

Then I saw this girl standing in front of me. She was wearing the same thing as the others that were her age but she was somewhat shorter. She had shoulder length pink hair and pink eyes. Yes, pink hair and pink eyes, I'm not kidding. Her hair color was naturally pink, and even her eyebrows were pink. No hair dye whatsoever. And the craziest thing: she looked kinda cute, but her frown kinda ruined it.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

"Uh…" I blinked.

"Answer the question, commoner!" she demanded. "What are you doing here?!"

Who are you calling a commoner? The Feudal Era is long gone. But then I noticed something strange in her facial expression. It had a mix of horror and realization for some reason. "No… don't tell me–!"

The people around me noticed too, but they were amused than horrified. Next thing that happened they burst out laughter, pointing at the pink haired girl. And she looked embarrassed and humiliated.

"Hahahahaha, as expected from Louise the Zero!"

"Out of all the things to summon as a Familiar, it was a commoner!"

Now I was both confused and angry. What the heck was going on here? Where was I?

"Sh–Shut up!" the pink haired girl shouted. "This is a mistake! Professor Colbert, please let me try again!" she pleaded. I guess she was talking to the bald headed guy.

The bald guy now known as Professor Colbert shook his head. "I can't let you do that. It is strictly forbidden and is a sacred ceremony that determines a mage's life. If I allow you to redo it, then it would be to an insult to the ceremony itself. Regardless, he has been decided as your Familiar Spirit, and you have no choice but to take him."

Wait, a Familiar Spirit? I'm no spirit! I'm a human!

Just then, coming up to her was a dark–skinned girl with long, with red hair and brownish-gold eyes. While I admit that she was hot, her… revealing features, to put in lighter terms were a huge turn off for me. "This makes all you said worth it! I would have never guessed that you summoned a commoner!" the dark–skinned girl said.

"Y–You shut up Kirche! It was just a little screw up!" Louise shouted, still blushing in embarrassment.

"That's Louise the Zero for ya! You never fail to meet our expectations!" Another student remarked. The rest of the class laughed. The pink girl now called Louise, turned to her teacher again.

"Professor Colbert! This got to be a mistake! I've never heard of someone taking a commoner as a Familiar Spirit!"

"We do now!" A student said again, and they laughed harder than ever.

"Well there's a first time for everything Miss Vallière. Commoner or not, there are no exceptions. He will serve as your Familiar."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up! Serve?! I'm her servant?! I just want to know where I am and how to get back home!

"Now continue the ceremony." The Professor reprimanded.

"… y–yes sir…"

"Come on, Louise! You can't _possibly_ fail at _this_, right? One student mocked.

"Or maybe she _can_, remember she _is_ the Zero." The other students continue to taunt and jeer at the poor girl. But surprisingly, she ignored them and walked towards me. Okay, what is she going to do now?

I heard the girl begin muttering something and begin waving a stick around. I wasn't sure, but as I heard it, it sounded like she was speaking French and English at the same time. As best as I could tell, she was saying something about binding and a pentagram of elements. Once she had her say, she promptly grabbed the lapels of my jacket and drew me in close before kissing me… on the _lips_?!

"Mmph…!" I cried out in pure shock. This was _not_ what I had in mind for a first kiss! Why, oh why did she have to steal my first kiss?! She only held the kiss for a moment before letting me go. "Uh…" I blinked, blushing red.

"You should be thankful for this!" the pinkette snapped, blushing.

Be thankful for _what_?! You stole my first kiss! Before anything else could happen, I felt this tingly feeling. It was on my left hand, and it felt like it was burning. Wait, my hand _was_ burning! Then my whole body started to burn up, but most of the pain was focused on my left hand. I staggered backwards and grunted, gripping my hand because of the intense pain. It felt like someone was writing on my hand with a hot iron knife. Then these lines appeared making strange marks that looked like Nordic runes. The burning sensation soon died down and my body felt normal again, but the after effects made me light headed.

"What… the heck… was that?" I asked panting heavily.

"Ah, your Familiar Runes." the bald man with glasses noted, taking a look at my hand. "Well Ms. Vallière, despite failing to properly cast Summon Familiar, you managed Summon Servant on your first try!"

"Um… thank you…" Louise said.

"Alright then, this concludes the summoning ceremony. You are all dismissed back to your dormitories. Also, there will be no classes for tomorrow, that way you can get to know your Familiars better."

Well that answers one thing; I'm at a school of some sort. But what does this school teach?

I got my answer when several of the students muttered that French/English gibberish and began to actually fly away! Then again, Wizard has the Hurricane Style, so I have no reason to actually object that it was impossible to do that.

As many students dispersed, the pinkette huffed angrily. Probably from the bad luck she was having.

"Hmph! Come on Familiar! We're going back too!" Louise huffed.

"Uh… back where exactly?" I asked.

"We're going back to the Academy, now c'mon!" Louise snapped.

"What Academy? Where the heck am I?"

"Just come with me!" Louise shouted before she walked in the direction most of the students were heading. I didn't know what else to do, so I just did what I was told. I grabbed my bag and followed Louise to wherever I'm headed. And how come my bag, got heavier all of a sudden? Oh well, I'll worry about it later.

* * *

Louise was walking ahead while I stayed behind. It wasn't a long walk as we arrived at… a castle like building with large white stone walls protecting the inside ones. I have to admit, it looked pretty amazing. Wait, why am I _complimenting_ the place?! I don't even know where I am! Ugh… never mind, I'll just go along with it and see what happens.

I continued to follow Louise through the castle walls. Everywhere I looked, I see teenagers of different ages wearing the same uniform Louise had on. But many were accompanied by animals and some of them were exotic. I guess that explains why Louise was mad that she got me and not any of those creatures we saw. Going deeper in the building, I saw decorative art, sculptures, and even a few maids around, carrying trays, laundry, or cleaning supplies.

Finally, Louise brought me to one of the towers and into a bedroom, which obviously looked like any other room a teenage girl has.

"This is the worst day ever…" Louise growled as she plopped down on her bed. When I looked around, I noticed that day already turned to night. Talk about a short day. I set my gym bag down to the side of the room so it wouldn't be in the way. "I was supposed to summon a magnificent Familiar, but instead I get a commoner!"

"You know, it's considered rude to say mean things about someone when they're in the room." I frowned. More and more this girl just personified 'spoiled brat' to me. "And you're not the only one, not happy about this. I am too."

"How are _you_ not happy about this, Familiar?" Louise asked confused. "You should be honored to be of service to a noble!"

Okay, now she's really ticking me off. "Frist of all, I have a name. And it's not: Familiar. It's Kurogasa Kururugi! And I demand that you get me back home!"

"How _dare_ you demand anything of me commoner?" Louise snapped. "Do you have any idea who I am? I am a noble you ingrate! Treat me with respect!"

"_Now_ who's the one demanding?!" I snapped back.

"I have _every_ right to demand!" Louise snapped. "I am a noble! That means I stand over you and I expect to be given my proper respects! And besides, even if I wanted to, I can't do it because the contract is absolute!"

**"YOU CAN'T GO BACK HOME!"**

I gasped in shock and horror. No way… "I… can't get back home?" I asked stunned.

"No. And why would you when you're now in the service of a Noble?" Asked the girl, apparently confused as to why anyone of the lower class wouldn't leap at the chance to serve one like her.

"No… way…" I said, as I fell to my knees.

*BA DUMP!*

I felt a sudden jolt of pain in my heart, and I immediately clenched my chest. What's going on?

"Commoner?" The girl asked, seeing me stumble, her earlier rage and arrogance gone as she saw me begin to clutch my chest. "Familiar? Familiar, what's wrong?"

When I looked up, behind Louise was the window and my eyes widened when I saw a big blue–green moon and a small pink one… it can't be… Louise was right… I was on a different world and… I couldn't go home.

*KRACK!*

"What in–!" Louise gasped covering her mouth as… purple cracks all over me…! No way… I'm a Gate!

…but did it matter anyway…?

…I couldn't go home…

…I was trapped…

…I'm stuck here for the rest of my life…

"W–What's happening to you?! Talk to me!" Louise asked frantically, kneeling next to me.

…so cold…

"D–D–Despair… Ph–Ph–Phantom…!"

"Phantom…?" Louise asked a bit scared.

…it's getting colder… more cracks… appearing all over me…

"I–I… have no hope… of getting home… it's over… I'm going to die here… alone…"

"No!" Louise cried out. "No! No! No! No! No! No! No! You _can't_ die! You just _got_ here! You're supposed to be my familiar! You're supposed… supposed… supposed to be my friend!"

I looked up at her weakly as more purple cracks appeared. "Y–You want me… to be… your friend?"

"Yes!" Louise exclaimed as tears came out of her eyes. "I have no one… everyone calls me the Zero because I can't do magic at all and they always make fun of me! I'm tired of it! Please don't go! Don't die on me!"

**"YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE!"**

My eyes widened at that. "I'm your… hope?"

"Yes! I don't want you to die! I promise to help you find a way home!"

"You… will?"

"I promise!" She repeated. "And a true noble never goes back on their word!"

I looked at Louise for a while. "Okay… I trust you…" I said before–

*BA DUMP!*

I felt the hard thumping of my heart and yelled, before… the cracks slowly receded from me and turned golden before it disappeared and I was back to my normal self. I then plopped to the floor, panting heavily.

"A–Are you okay?" Louise asked uncertain.

"I'm… fine… thanks to you…" I panted. "Now I just… need to rest." I added, before I started drifting off. The last thing I saw was my bag glowing for some reason before I blacked out.

* * *

_**"CURSE YOU, YOU LITTLE RAT! LET ME OUT!"**_

_Huh? Who said that? I opened my eyes and looked around, seeing that I was in a dream. Although in this dream, it was nothing but a black void._

_**"OVER HERE, YOU LITTLE RAT!"**_

_I turned around and saw… the WizarDragon?! No way! I thought that was Haruto's! But… keeping my composure, I stood my ground._

_**"HOW **_**DARE**_** YOU IMPRISON ME LIKE A DOG!?"**_

_"Heh… if only I cared." I scoffed. "You're not getting out of me, Dragon. I've held onto my hope thanks to a new friend. And I'm going to make sure it stays that way."_

_WizarDragon snarled, but the let out a mirthless chuckle. __**"Bah, the spoiled brat will betray you in the end. We've seen her type. The moment her public image comes into question, she'll burn any bridge in order to look better or avoid falling. Her kind doesn't know the **_**meaning**_** of friends."**_

_"Maybe so, but she entrusted to me that I'd become _her_ hope!" I shot back. "And I know that I won't fail her!"_

_**"Che… So be it."**__ WizarDragon snorted. __**"But when that girl turns her back on you, I'll be waiting to break out of this miserable prison of an Underworld! Remember that!"**_

_And with that, my whole dream went white._

* * *

My body felt sore when it awoke, like something had been fighting furiously inside of me to escape. Considering how Phantoms were born, that wasn't an entirely untrue description of what had nearly happened to me.

"Hey, are you awake?" A voice asked gently. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up to see Louise.

"Oh… Louise…" I said, as I slowly sat upright, cringing in pain a bit from the soreness.

"How are you feeling?" Louise asked.

"Lousy…" I grunted, rubbing my chest.

"I don't doubt it." Louise said. Things were silent for a while, until she decided to break the ice. "Um… about last night… What… happened to you?"

I groaned as I sat up, accepting a cup of tea that Louise handed over to me. Taking a breath and a sip of the admittedly good drink, I spoke, "A Phantom was trying to come out of me."

Louise asked, "A Phantom?"

"Yes. To be more specific, I was a Gate. A Gate is basically a human who has magical potential. When you told me that there was no way to get back home, I fell into despair. Once that happened, the Phantom inside me tried to take advantage by trying to get out of my body. If that happened, I would have been killed in the process. Hence the reason why you saw those purple cracks on me."

Louise blinked, understandably shocked but then her mind latched onto something, "Y–Y–You mean y–y–you can do magic?!"

"Well, not before, I couldn't. I didn't know it was real to be honest." I shrugged. "Now with my Phantom born and inside of me, maybe I _can_."

"_Maybe _you can?" Louise asked confused. "No, it's impossible! Only those of noble lines can wield magic! It was ordained by the Founder! You can't use magic!"

"The fact that I manifested a Phantom proves otherwise." I retorted, feeling some vindication in tweaking her like this. "Phantoms are born from pure despair mixing with magic, be it latent or active. I _do_ have magic, but I just couldn't activate it. Now that my Phantom is awake, my magic is too. Might be worth trying…"

"That's enough of your foolishness!" Louise snapped. "Now I _will_ believe that obviously something magical happened to you. You say this Phantom creature is inside you and it is a source of magic?"

"Yes. When someone is in despair and is somehow able to hold onto their hope while in that state, they can suppress the Phantom inside and thus became a magic user. From what I know it's incredibly rare." I explained. "I was able to hold onto my hope thanks to you."

"I–It was all thanks to me?" Louise stuttered. It was kind of cute when she did that, but by this point it was starting to get a little annoying.

"That's right. You promised that you'd find a way to get me back home, and I'm holding you to that promise. Do that, and I'll make sure to become _your_ hope of being your friend and that no one will make fun of you ever again."

The little pinkette blushed and looked away from me, "I–I–I–I'll believe that when I see it!"

"Oh, you'll see it." I smirked. "I'll be outside waiting for you while you get changed." I said before heading for the door.

When I got out, closing the door and into the hallway, I leaned against the wall, to let my mind take in everything that happened. It turned out to be the weirdest day, yesterday. I get sucked into this world, suddenly became a servant for Louise, then fell into despair until she helped me hold onto my hope, and then meeting Dragon in my dream last night. Yeah, talk about weird all in one day. As I thought about this, I noticed something else strange. The Hand Author buckle… was around my waist?

"Excuse me…" A voice said gently.

I blinked and turned to see a young lady around my age in a maid outfit. She had short black hair in a pageboy style with blue eyes. She didn't look as exotic as some of the other students I had seen when I arrived but she was still up there in terms of attractiveness, like a homegrown sort of girl. It didn't hurt her figure was at least a sold 8. She was holding a basket of sheets and looking at me with curiosity.

"Yes? Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Do you happen to be Miss Vallière's familiar?" I asked.

"Yes, I am." I answered. "You… know about me?"

"Yes. Everyone is talking about the human Familiar the Miss Vallière summoned." The maid nodded. "Although we were a little worried after she sent for extra blankets this morning when she said you had some sort of incident."

I winced at the memory of last night. "Yeah… something happened. I'd rather not talk about it."

"I see… Well, so long as you're okay." The maid nodded. "My name is Siesta. I'm a maid here at the Academy."

"I'm Kurogasa. It's nice to meet you." I greeted, bowing.

"Kurogasa…? What an odd name…" Siesta mused.

"Well, not so odd from where I come from." I shrugged.

"I see. Well anyways, I must get these dirty clothes to the laundry. It's nice meeting you." Siesta smiled before leaving.

"I'll see you around." I nodded with a closed smile.

Wow. What a nice girl. At least there're people that are naturally nice the first time you meet them. However, there was something nostalgic about the girl. Don't get me wrong, I never met Siesta my whole life, but there was something about her that was familiar. Oh well, whatever it is, it'll come to me eventually.

In the meantime, I was feeling restless and maybe still working off the jitters of nearly dying via Phantom so I wanted to go someplace to distract myself.

"I'm ready!" Louise called out before she herself stepped out of her room, dressed in her uniform.

"Well then, let's go." I nodded. "You'll have to lead since I don't know my way around."

"Of _course_ you have to. Familiars are _supposed_ to follow their Masters after all." Louise said, before walking away making me, twitch my eye in annoyance before following too.

"She still doesn't get that I'm human…" I growled softly. Well, technically, a human with possible magic but who cares about technicalities? I really hope I know what I'm getting myself into.

* * *

We traveled down to the ground floor into a large hall lined with tables which had many students already seated at them and eating their breakfasts. All of the meals looked pretty decadent and filled to the brim with fancy food. To be honest, it looked like the kinds of meals that were more for show than for filling, but no one else seemed to mind. I didn't care what was there so long as I got something to eat too.

"Well, lookie here! It's Louise the Zero and her familiar." A female giggled with amusement. We both turned around to see that dark–skinned red head. Kirche was her name if I remembered right. Oh yeah, _now_ I remember. She's the hot girl that's a turn off for me…

She was way too 'in your face' for my tastes.

"Ugh… what do _you_ want Kirche?" Louise groaned.

"Oh, I just wanted to see if your actor has quit yet. I heard you almost killed him last night." The redhead teased.

Wow, news must spread fast around here.

Louise fumed in anger at this. "There was certainly no acting! My familiar really _did_ almost get killed!"

"You have absolutely no idea what I've been through." I frowned at Kirche. "So who do you think you are to question what happened?"

"I only say what I heard. That's why I decided to ask directly." Kirche shrugged, not concerned about our tempers.

"Well there's a thing we call 'privacy' and whatever happened last night was only between me and her. I suggest you don't pry further into our business. C'mon Louise, let's eat breakfast somewhere else." I said, before grabbing her hand and stormed off with her.

"H–Hey, wait a minute!" Louise cried out, but I'm ignoring it right now. I don't want anywhere _NEAR_ Kirche.

"Oh poo, a tough one eh…" I heard Kirche purr as we left.

* * *

Louise and I soon left the cafeteria and to outside the courtyard. "Kurogasa let me go!" Louise demanded. "You're hurting me!"

"Huh?" I asked, snapping out of my anger, before I turned around to realize it and let go. "Oh, sorry about that…" I apologized.

"Gracious, you have a strong grip." Louise huffed, rubbing her hand.

"Sorry…" I muttered. "I just… can't stand those kinds of people like Kirche." I then looked to Louise saying, "N–Not that I'm saying that you're like her too. You're an exception."

"Like her how?" Louise asked with suspicion.

"Uh…" I said, trying to think of an excuse. "Um… I think I shouldn't talk any further." I sweat dropped.

*GURGLE!*

We both looked at our stomachs and realized that we still didn't eat yet. Louise gave me a look that said we'd continue later before she went to claim a seat at one of the tables.

"Oh. Is that you Kurogasa?" A voice asked. I turned around to see Siesta.

"Oh. Hello there, Siesta." I greeted.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Uh…" I began. I was gonna say something until…

*GURGLE!*

…That happened. I laughed nervously and scratched my head sheepishly. "I'm looking for a place to eat. I didn't eat anything yet."

"Oh, I see. Well then follow me this way. I'll get you a nice meal."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" I blinked in surprise. The maid smiled happily as she nodded. "Alright then, count me in! I'll bring Louise over!" I added before turning to Louise. "Hey Louise, I found us some breakfast!" I called out waving to her.

"Fine, fine…" Louise waved off as another maid began to serve her. "Just be back by the time the bell rings!"

"You're not coming with me?!" I asked incredulously.

"No. Just go."

"Uh… ok." I said. Well, at least I offered.

* * *

Siesta led me to the kitchen where there were lots of large pots and pans all over the place while server. The chefs were cooking while the servers were preparing it. "Please wait one moment, okay?" Siesta said as she had me sit on a chair placed in the corner of the kitchen and went into the kitchen. She soon returned with a bowl full of warm stew in her hands.

"This is the stew made from the left overs of the nobles' meals." She said, putting it down on the table. "If you don't mind, please eat this."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. It's only the staff meal though, but please enjoy."

I have to admit, the stew smells delicious. Picking up the spoon, I dipped it in the bowl and got a spoonful of stew before putting it in my mouth. When I did, my eyes lit up! "Oh wow, this is delicious!" I said impressed.

"I'm glad to hear that." Siesta smiled. "There's plenty if you want seconds, so take your time."

"Don't mind if I do!" I beamed. As I was eating, I asked Siesta about where I was at in terms of what country I'm in and whatnot. Apparently I was summoned in a world where magic happens every day. I was on the continent of Halkeginia, consisting of the countries, Tristain, Germania, Gallia, Romalia, and Albion. I was in the country of Tristain. And the building I was at earlier was the Tristain Academy of Magic. She also said that the only ones that could use magic were people who were in nobility or royalty, the same thing that Louise told me. Everyone else was referred to as a commoner since they couldn't use magic. That would explain the whole Feudal Era thing.

She then explained, to my surprise that magic came in the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. And I have those in the style of my Wizard Rings. There was also a fifth element called Void, but it's been lost a long time ago, so no one knows how to use it. A mage was also classified by what magic you could use. But that mage can be further classified on how many elements you can use. The more you use, the more powerful you are. If you could use one, you were a Dot Mage, two and you are a Line Mage, three makes you a Triangle Mage, and finally if you can use four elements, you were a Square Mage.

It wasn't about combining Fire and Earth to get Lava, although it was possible but extremely difficult. No, the dot, line, triangle, square classification came from how many layers of a spell, one could cast. Like Wind + Wind + Wind makes a Triangle Wind spell.

"Huh… Well that makes sense. Now I got a better understanding of this place." I sighed as I finished my fourth bowl of stew. "Anyways thanks for the stew. It was really good."

"You're welcome. Feel free to come and visit whenever you're hungry. If you don't mind what we're having; I'd be happy to share." Siesta smiled.

"Thank you. So is there anything I can help you with? I have a thing to repay someone for helping me."

"I see. Well in that case, can you help me pass the lunchtime dessert?" Siesta asked.

"Sure, I'd like to." I nodded.

* * *

_Meanwhile… Professor Colbert was running for some reason while carrying a book. After seeing the runes on Kurogasa's hand, he went to the library to research on it. What he discovered shocked him, hence the reason why he was running. He continued to run until he got to the door of the Headmaster's Office and burst it open. Inside was an old man with very long white hair and beard. His name was Osmond. There was also his secretary, who had forest green hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing glasses. Her name was Miss Longueville._

_Mr. Colbert cried out, "Old Osmond!"_

_"What is it?" The old Headmaster asked._

_"I–I have big news!"_

_"There is no such thing as big news. Everything is but a collection of small events."_

_"But you need to look at this!" Colbert handed Osmond the book and the old man opened the book to the page where Colbert had bookmarked._

_"This is "The Guardian pentagon of the Founder Brimir," is it not? Why are you still going around digging up old literature like this? Mister… what was your name again?" Osmond asked, tilting his head to the side. Colbert fell down anime style._

_"It's Colbert! You forgot?!" Colbert yelled, while standing back up._

_"Oh, right, right. I remember now. You talked so fast, so I didn't really catch it. So, Colby, what is it about this book?"_

_"I told you its Colbert…" The teacher sighed sweat dropping before regaining his composure saying," Take a look at this!" He said as he pointed to a certain page in the book._

_When Osmond saw the page his expression changed dramatically from carefree to serious and stern. "Miss Longueville, would you please excuse us?" The secretary then stood up and properly left the room. "Now, explain to me everything in detail, Mister Colbert… very slowly…"_

* * *

So with that, Siesta showed me the box desserts that were both loaded up on some fancy carts. With both of them stocked up, Siesta and I went to the courtyard to pass out desserts to the nobles. As I served however, I noticed a mage with curly blonde hair, wearing a frill–trimmed shirt, and a rose stuck in his shirt pocket, talking with his friends.

"Who're you going out with now, Guiche?"

"Yeah, who's your lover, Guiche?"

"Go out? I hold no woman in such special regard. After all, a rose blooms for the pleasure of many." He said as he raised his finer again to his lips.

Ugh… great… another egotistical noble like Kirche. Why, am I not surprised? I then saw something falling out of his pocket. It was a small glass with purple fluid swirling inside it. I had the temptation of not picking up the bottle for that narcissist, but I'm naturally a nice guy, so I had to. I walked over to his table and picked up the bottle to give it back to him.

"Excuse me, you dropped this bottle." I said. But Guiche didn't turn around to face me. Okay… he's ignoring me… great… though it's not really surprising at all. I placed the bottle on the table and I got the reaction… I'm not looking for. Guiche gave me a dirty look. "I said you dropped this bottle." I repeated.

"This is not mine. What are you talking about?"

What the heck?! It fell out of your pocket, so it's yours!

"That perfume, isn't that Montmorency's?"

"Yeah, that vivid purple color is the perfume Montmorency mixes for herself!"

"So does that mean you're going out with Montmorency?"

What the heck's going on? I have no clue what they're talking about. Plus, Guiche's friends' voices were loud enough to start a commotion. "No wait, listen to me. I'm saying this for the sake of her reputation, but…" Guiche started but he suddenly paled in horror when a girl with chestnut hair, wearing a brown cloak walked over to him.

"U–Uh… Katie?" Guiche stuttered.

"Sir Guiche?" Katie whimpered, before tears started fell from her eyes. "I knew it! You and Montmorency are…"

I facepalmed on what's really going on. That idiot's two–timing! How much stupider could he get?!

"They're misunderstanding. Katie, listen. The only person I hold in my heart is you…" But she wouldn't have any of it. What she did was slapped Guiche in the face as hard as she could, leaving a big red hand mark on his right cheek. To be honest, I felt satisfied.

"That perfume is proof enough!" She yelled before she stormed off while Guiche rubbed his cheek. Ohhh, but it didn't stop there. A girl with tightly rolled up blonde hair stood up from a table further down and went over to Guiche with an angry look on her face. That must be Montmorency. "Montmorency. This is a misunderstanding. All I did was accompanying her on a long trip to the forests of La Rochelle…" Guiche said.

"I knew it! You've been making moves on that first year, haven't you?"

Just admit it Romeo… you already screwed up, so what's the point of lying, your way out of _this_ one?

"Montmorency, please. Don't ruin your rose–like face with anger like that. It saddens me to see it!"

*SMACK!*

Montmorency slapped him on the other cheek and it left a red hand mark on his other cheek, making him fall on his butt, before she yelled, "You two–timing liar!" and stormed off.

"It would seem those ladies do not understand the meaning of a rose's existence." Guiche sighed.

"I don't think _any_ lady would…" I deadpanned with a sweat drop. Well, I guess I could call that a good deed. I exposed that guy for the fool he is. I'm glad he got his just desserts. And _speaking _of desserts, if I finish quickly, I could probably help myself to some leftovers. So I quickly went back to the cart and was about to leave until–

"Stop right there!" Guiche commanded. Crap… I was hoping I would get away with it. Oh well. It's fine. That means I can humiliate him more. I turned to face him. "Thanks to you picking up that bottle, you damaged and ruined the reputation of two ladies. How will you take responsibility?" He asked.

"How will _I_ take responsibility?" I blinked. "Pal, let's review the facts shall we? You accepted a gift of perfume from miss… Montmorency was it? That indicates you had something semi–serious going on. Then you were apparently going on long walks alone with Miss Katie. That means flirting to most people. Maybe it was innocent, but then all your friends are asking who you're going out with today, meaning you were seeing both of them within a short time of each other. Then you talk stating you're perfectly fine with seeing multiple girls, if your flower–talk was a hint." I smirked as I saw many people nodding at my logic. "I may have revealed what was going on, but their reputations were damaged by you long before _I_ came around."

Guiche's friends all laughed as the said person was mad, turning red.

"He's got you _there_ Guiche!"

"It's your own fault!" Another laughed.

Well, at least I had the crowd on my side. Guiche on the other hand was getting even angrier. I actually remembered the look on his face from an old boss I had. Whenever someone said something he didn't like, his mind would somehow erase what was said and rework it into something that fit his reality. Everyone hated him since he kept screwing things up and would never admit when things just wouldn't work the way he wanted. I had a feeling Guiche was going to do something along the same lines. He refused to take responsibility so he'd somehow make himself believe that it was _my_ fault.

"Ah yes, I know you. You're Louise the Zero's familiar aren't you?" Guiche seethed.

"Yeah, that's right. What of it?"

He then stood up before pointing his rose at me. "If that's so, then I challenge you to a duel!"

A duel you say? This could actually work. Looking at the Hand Author buckle that was on my regular belt around my waist, I get the feeling that something good is gonna happen. This is the perfect opportunity for me to _use_ that good. Looking back at him, I said, "Fine. You're on. I've _always_ wanted to beat an egotistical noble like you and throw you off your high horse. Just name the place and the time."

"At Vestri Court." He scowled, looking even more spoiled than before. "We will duel in one hour."

"And I'll be there." I nodded. With that, Guiche and his friends left while the rest of the students were excitedly talking amongst themselves about the duel that was set up.

"What are you doing?!" Siesta panicked, running up to me.

"Huh?" I asked confused looking at her.

"You're going to get killed!" Siesta exclaimed. "If you truly anger a noble then–" She didn't want to finish that sentence. I understand her feelings and all, but this is something I have to do. I have to put Guiche in his place.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." I tried to reassure her. "Besides, I've got something to even the odds.

"Y–You do?"

"Yes I do. I call it my little secret weapon." I grinned.

* * *

_Louise was livid. Not ten minutes out of her sight, she heard gossip spreading all over the school that her Familiar had picked a fight with Guiche and was now set to take part in a duel. "What is that idiot thinking?!" Louise shrieked. When she got through with him, that Phantom incident was going to be a fuzzy memory! So with that, she stormed off to the Vestri Court._

* * *

_"I can't believe it…" Osmond said in disbelief, sitting back in his chair. "To think that the third daughter of the Vallière family can…"_

_"So… is it really true?" Colbert asked._

_"Whatever the truth may be, you do _not_ speak of this anyone." Osmond said seriously. "Not a single soul must know of this!"_

_"Of… of course…" Colbert nodded. "But for all we believe it to be confirmed…"_

_He was interrupted when Ms. Longueville entered the office. "Sir, there's a commotion in the Vestri Court! A duel is about to commence!"_

_"Oh dear…" Osmond sighed having a minor migraine. "Those noble children and their petty duels… who is it _this_ time?"_

_"One of the participants is Gramont's son, Guiche."_

_"Ugh… even _worse_…" Osmond groaned. "Skirt chasing is the only thing that runs in that family. And who's the other one?"_

_"Um…" The secretary bit her lip. "It's Miss Vallière's Familiar, sir."_

_"Huh?" Colbert and Osmond blinked._

_"I am not jesting. It's Miss Vallière's Familiar."_

_"I see." Osmond said. "This should be interesting. Very well then, let them have their duel."_

_"A–Are you sure?!" Colbert asked incredulously. _

_"As long as it is not between nobles it's fine." Osmond waved off. He then stood up from his chair with his staff in tow and went over to a mirror. With a wave of his hand, the mirror showed the Vestri Court. "I have a feeling that something interesting is going to happen."_

* * *

I went straight back to Louise's room to get my stuff in the duffle bag. When I got back in, I opened my bag and took out my Wizard Box which contained all my rings. They felt a bit heavier too. I set the box on the table and opened it to reveal them. I picked up the Flame Style ring and touched it and… it felt like it was an actual piece of jewelry. I know the difference between how plastic and jewelry and this feels like jewelry for sure.

You can say I'm hyping myself up for the duel, but I knew what my fingers touched. So picking out a selection of rings, I put them in two ring holder belts and placed the belts on both sides of my waist on my regular belt. Good thing I ordered two of them, so that I have one ring holder belt for my Transformation Rings and the other for my Spell Rings.

Before making my way towards Vestri Court, I looked in the Ring Box again and noticed something strange. Wait a minute. Something's missing! Where're my Dragon Rings and Infinity Ring along with the Special Rings for them?! They're gone! Oh man… and I wanted to show them off too… Well at least I have all the other Spell Rings. That's when I realized something else! What if my _other _stuff were missing?! I quickly went back into the bag, and to my horror, the Drago Timer and AxCalibur were gone too. The only thing left was the WizarSwordGun… in life size! This just sucks! Hold on… a life sized WizarSwordGun?!

"OW!"

Did I mention it was sharp?

Never mind. I decided to put the WizarSwordGun in Gun mode and placed it on the table. Why? You'll see why later. So with the two ring holder belts on my waist, the Driver on Ring on my right middle finger and the Flame Style Ring on my left middle finger, I headed out for the Vestri Court.

* * *

A few minutes later, I arrived at the Vestri Court. It was packed with a lot of students wanting to see the fight. Not surprisingly, Kirche was there, but I've never seen that light–blue short haired girl with the glasses before. She had a staff and was reading a book, not paying attention to the fight. I walked through the crowd and soon got in the large empty circle where Guiche was waiting.

He looked as pompous as ever, even posing with a rose much to the delight of his fangirls. He obviously thought that he would be able to win easily, just some noble kicking around a commoner. He'd get his licks in, soothe his pride, and teach me to keep my mouth shut. Well, there was going to be an upset in that regard if what I guess was right.

"I must commend you for not running away." Guiche said.

"You think I'd miss the chance to beat the crap out of you? Think again." I scoffed. "Let's just get this over with. What are the terms?"

"The first to surrender or be knocked unconscious loses." Guiche stated.

"That's fine by me." I said.

"Wait!" A voice shouted. We all turned around to see Louise who was running towards the circle. "This needs to stop this instant!"

"Oh come now, Louise." Guiche smirked. "This commoner needs to learn his place. Besmirching our reputations is an act that demands discipline."

"_You're_ one to talk about discipline." I snorted. "You have absolutely _none_. I mean, honestly, cheating with two girls in the same school? Were you _that_ desperate for some action? I mean, what did you expect? They were _guaranteed_ to find out about each other, especially with the way you brag."

The crowd murmured and oohed at the words I spat out. And it was the truth too. Not to mention that it's a truth that Guiche can't handle.

"Grrrr… I believe that's quite enough from you!" Guiche growled before waving his rose. A petal fell to the ground and a pillar of light shined before a golem like creature with greenish–blue armor appeared, equipped with a lance. "My name is Guiche de Gramont, otherwise known as Guiche "The Bronze". It's only natural that I use magic, so my Valkyrie will be a fitting opponent for you."

"Gee, I'm flattered…" I deadpanned. While I admit that it was impressive to summon something like that, it doesn't hold a candle to what _I_ have in store.

"Well then commoner, are you ready to fall before my feet?"

"Che, as if I'd do that!" I scoffed.

"Kurogasa, don't do it!" Louise shouted.

"It's okay Louise, I got this." I assured. "Guiche is about to experience firsthand on what happens when he messes with someone like me!" I said before looking down at the Hand Author buckle. Time to see if it's really true! Looking back up at Guiche, I held up my right hand showing the Driver on Ring and placed it in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

All chatter, mocking, or otherwise stopped when they saw the buckle on my belt transform into the silver WizarDriver. Relief and euphoria flooded through me when it was obvious to me that I had this thing in the bag. Touching the Shift Levers, I flipped them, allowing the Hand Author to turn over to my left and begin to sing.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

The crowd murmured amongst themselves as they heard the continuous singing.

"What in–?" Guiche got out.

"What's going on?" One student asked.

"What is he gonna do?" Another questioned.

"K–Kurogasa…?" Louise asked.

I ignored all of it as I held up my left hand, showing the Flame Style Ring and flipped the visor down, before shouting, "Henshin!" and placed my hand in front of the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE!**

To my delight and their shock, the red magic seal of Wizard appeared to my left in the air. I stuck my left arm out towards the seal and it slowly went towards and through me while leaving a fiery trail.

**HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

The full red magic seal soon passed over me completely, covering me in a suit of armor which I knew very well.

From head to toe I was clad in a black bodysuit which concealed his form. The silver belt and chains of rings at my sides stayed the same, but the rest was different. My chest was covered in red gem–like armor which was a long line down the middle with three sections on each side that were rectangular, but slightly askew. My shoulders were covered in black armor with silver edges that were decorated with dragon–like crests. From my waist hung a robe–like waist covering which was red on the inside but black on the outside. My wrists and ankles sported bands that were the same ruby red as my chest plate. Finally, my head was concealed by a silver helmet which had a ruby red faceplate decorated like the ring I wore, sporting metal lines making it appear as if it had large eyes with antennae rising from the forehead.

As much as I wanted to squeal like a fan boy, now wasn't the time. I looked around and the students around me were flabbergasted and shocked in my appearance. Louise was definitely in shock and Guiche was hyperventilating like crazy.

Louise screeched in surprise saying, "Wh–Wh–Wh–Wh–Wh–Whaaaaaat?!"

"This is impossible! A mere commoner can use magic?!" Guiche yelled. "Who _are_ you?!"

"I am the Diamond of Justice in the Rough of Oppression! The Jewel of Hope unearthed from the Sands of Despair! I am Kamen Rider Wizard!"

The crowd asked shocked, "Kamen Rider Wizard?!"

"That's right!" I declared, before pointing at Guiche. "You and I will be the stars of this battle Guiche! And I promise you that when this battle is over, it's going to be curtains for you!" I put my pointing finger down and held up my hand, showing the Flame Style Ring. "Now… it's showtime!"

Guiche looked like he swallowed a lemon. Now I'm pretty sure he's thinking that he's picked a fight with a fellow Noble and was about to get in a real duel instead of the mock one he had been anticipating. Oh I was going to make this fun, and showy, so that the little pervert could actually think with the brain in his head instead of his pants for a change. I'm sure his parents will thank me after they find I've rescued their family from having to support so many bastard children.

"You think you can defeat me?! _I'll_ show you! Attack my Valkyrie!" Guiche commanded his golem and the latter charged forward. I charged towards it too and we soon clashed.

The golem started off with trying to stab me, but I parried by holding onto its spear and then kicked it away from me a few times, making it stumble back. Taking this chance I switched the Hand Author to my right.

**LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO! LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO!**

It kept repeating that until I took off the Driver on Ring from my finger and replaced it with the Connect Ring before placing it in front of the Hand Author.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

A small red magic seal appeared in the air and I stuck my hand in it, before pulling out from the circle my WizarSwordGun.

I didn't stop to see people gape at me, although I could think of plenty of party favors I could use this for. Instead, I charged back at the golem… and I felt like I was really moving, like I had wings on my feet or something. Was the armor this much of a power up?

The golem tried again to stab me, but I dodged to the side and shot a few bullets on it, making sparks fly. I then levered the handle to be straight and the blade folded out so that I was in Sword Mode. Twirling it around a few times, I charged at the golem again and the golem and I clashed with spear and sword. It tried slashing me horizontally, but I did a backflip and slashed the golem's spear in half. Since when can I do backflips anyway?

Eh, I guess the armor really _did_ boost one's abilities.

"Hiyah," I shouted, kicking the golem in the head and making it stumble backwards. "Oh come on. Aren't you getting your head in the game yet? I only used three spells so far!"

"Well then, let's see how you like _this_!" Guiche shouted, throwing three more rose petals on the ground and had two more Valkyries appear, armed with spears. "Get him!" He yelled and the two charged, spears pointing at me to make an X shape. I blocked with the WizarSwordGun and they were pushing me back as I skid back.

"Oi, Oi, Oi, Oi, Oi, come on already!" I shouted before the Valkyrie managed to flip me over them, but thinking quickly, I managed to regain footing and landed safely while gaining distance. I took off my Flame Style Ring, putting it in the ring holder belt, and took out the Land Style Ring. I stabbed my sword to the ground before facing the Valkyries. "Mattaku… stay grounded already!" I said, before putting on the Land Style Ring, flipped the Hand Author to my left and placed the ring in front of it.

**LAND! PLEASE!**

I placed my hand over the ground and a yellow magic seal appeared below me as rock floated up.

**DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

The yellow magic seal traveled up my body, turning the ruby red portions of my armor to topaz yellow. The sides of my chest armor turned into true squares and my faceplate also became square shaped. Feeling the Fire Magic being swapped out for Earth Magic, I took another stance to pick up the fight.

"He can use Earth Magic too?!" One of the spectators asked shocked.

"Yeah, pretty much!" I said as the Valkyries charged at me again. I quickly took off the Connect Ring and replaced with the Defend Ring, before switching the Hand Author again to my right.

**DEFEND! PLEASE!**

A wall of solid earth rose up, compacted by my magic. The Valkyries crashed into it, rebounding from it and collapsing into a heap. Guiche made a choking noise when it happened and I managed to see the matching face as my wall lowered back to rejoin the ground. He looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel.

"Are we done?" I asked cheekily.

"It's never over until I _say_ it is! Take this!" Guiche yelled, waving his rose like crazy and about ten more petals fell from the rose before reforming into new Valkyries.

"You need to cool off Guiche!" I teased before switching the Land Style Ring with the Water Style Ring. I flipped the Hand Author to my left and placed the ring in front of it.

**WATER! PLEASE!**

A blue magic seal appeared above me and went down and through me as water swirled around the circle and rained down on me at the same time.

**SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

The blue circle passed over me, transforming my yellow armor into a sapphire blue. The new armor I had on was blue with diamond shapes on the sides of my chest and my faceplate had turned into a blue diamond.

"Now he can use Water Magic?!" One of the students cried out.

"This is amazing!" Another exclaimed.

"How is he doing this?" A third questioned.

Guiche's look of intimidation and outrage was only growing. I think it was just sheer pride that kept him from running off or giving up. "I will not lose to you!" Guiche yelled and sent his ten Valkyries at me. This guy's a broken record. Taking off the Defend Ring, I replaced it with the Liquid Ring and switched the Hand Author yet again.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

My body immediately collapsed into a puddle of water, letting the golem pass through me. It could still feel like I had a body, but it felt like I was all over the place instead of being in a solid form. I could still control it perfectly. I pushed and found myself surging through the air like a stream. A little more force and I was a high–pressure blast, knocking the metal golems clear off of their feet.

"Whoa! He turned into water completely!"

"Incredible!"

Wow… I'm definitely giving them a show. After reforming myself next to my WizarSwordGun, I replaced the Water Style Ring with the Hurricane Style Ring. "This one is gonna blow you away!" I said before switching the Hand Author to my left again.

**HURRICANE! PLEASE!**

I raised my hand in the air and the green magic seal appeared as a green wind surrounded it.

**FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

Grabbing my WizarSwordGun, I jumped into and through the green magic seal changing my style before bouncing off the seal and flew. The chest plate was a vibrant emerald green with the sides having connecting triangles with green bands on my wrists and ankles with the inside of my coat attachment being green as well. The shape of the gemstone on my face was an inverted triangle too.

"Now he has Wind Magic!" One student shouted.

"By the Founder, he can use all four elements!" I heard another call out.

That caused quite a ruckus as the crowd got more excited and chaotic. I felt pretty good about myself. Grinning under my mask, I flew towards the wet and soggy Valkyries slashing them without mercy and destroyed all but one. Why? Well… you'll see why. I landed safely to gain distance and replaced the Hurricane Style Ring with the Flame Style Ring. I then flipped the Hand Author twice to restart the song before placing the ring in front of the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I soon went back into Flame Style then switched the Hand Author back to my right for the last time.

**LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO! LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO!**

It kept repeating that as I switched the Liquid Ring with the Kick Strike Ring, deciding that now was the time to finish it. "It's time for the grand finale!" I said, before placing it in front of the Hand Author.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

The red magic seal appeared below my feet and I twirled around once on my left foot in place, before stepping out with my right foot and moved the tail on that side of the trench coat to the other side. A swirl of fire surrounded my kicking foot and surprisingly enough, didn't burn me.

I then leaped forward, doing a cartwheel before leaping through the air. I aimed my kick at the Valkyrie's chest and a red magic seal appeared in front of me, before it kicked it and the magic circle stretched into a cone of circles before becoming rings of fire. I landed a flying kick straight on the Valkyrie's chest and the construct flew backwards, skidding across the ground before coming to a halt. It struggled to stand, but I had just the thing to say.

"Now, take your final bow!" I called, pointing at the construct.

The construct seemed to respond to my command and bowed, before I turned around with my back facing the construct and Guiche. I held up my hand showing the Flame Style Ring before the red magic seal appeared on the construct and exploded.

All of the students were silent, openly gaping at me. Before, I was just some commoner who mouthed off at a noble. Now, I was likely another noble in their eyes who had power over all four magical elements.

Kirche looked impressed… and that's not good. Why? Because I have a feeling that she'll try to get close me. Her friend that was next to her, blinked in surprise… before going back to her book. Siesta practically had stars in her eyes and Louise looked the most shocked out of all the others.

"Well, that wraps things up doesn't it?" I grinned behind my mask. I then turned around to face Guiche who looked like he was about to pee and poop in his pants at the same time, looking at me in utter disbelief. "Do you wanna surrender now?" I asked.

It seemed to snap him out of his shock and he stumbled back in abject fear, "Okay! I surrender! I surrender!"

With that, the crowd roared and cheered in excitement and ovation. And I have to say, it feels pretty good that I knocked him off his high horse. I took off both my rings to put in the ring belt holders and the magic seal appeared below me before it went up and through me, breaking my armor to pieces and disappearing, changing me back to civilian form.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Osmond, Colbert, and Longueville witnessed what happened, looking the mirror, and they were just as shocked as the student. "Old Osmond…" Colbert got out. "W–What did we just see?"_

_"A master of the elements by first examination…" Osmond commented, puffing on his pipe calmly. "A rather clever means of casting spells, using rings instead of a wand. They're easily swapped out and pre–cast too. They merely need willpower to go into effect. A clever wizard is he not?"_

_"Y–Yes, it is truly incredible." Longueville gulped, still gawking at what she saw._

_"I knew that something interesting was going to happen." Osmond chuckled. "And I think it will be more interesting later on in the year."_

* * *

**Fen: **Well, what a way to kick off my return! How do you like the chapter huh? Was it amazing or what!

**Audience:** WHEW! YEAH! ALRIGHT! *continues to clap and cheer*

**SD:** Haha! Sounds like they like it!

**Fen:** Thanks everyone!

**SD:** Glad you enjoyed, and hope, you guys come back for the next chapter and check out our other stories! And always, be sure to review!

**Fen:** Thanks for reading!


	2. Phantom Incursion

Hey there everybody, what's going on? It's your buddy Fenikkusumaru, here to give you the latest chapter of Wizard of Zero! I thank you for your patience waiting for this chapter and now I'm here to reward you by having you read this chapter! Plus, Kurogasa will be fighting his first Phantom! Which one you ask? Well, you're just gonna have to read it in order to find out! So let's go now!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Louise hadn't stopped gaping at me ever since I beat Guiche using magic of all things. I think she was even more shocked that I used all four of the classic elements to do it. All of the other students hadn't stopped talking about it since the duel ended. Louise on the other hand hadn't said a word. Instead, she stormed towards me, grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me away. We ended up at the outdoor tables the students were supposed to use to get to know their familiars better. Funnily enough, Siesta had taken it upon herself to serve us and was going so slowly so she wouldn't have to leave. Louise was in too much shock to even care.

"Y–You have some explaining to do, Kurogasa!" Louise stammered.

"Oh do I?" I asked. "I told you about the Phantom already and what that would mean to me."

"T–That's not the point! The point is, is that you, a commoner, were able to use all four elements! How is that possible?!"

"I think the answer is obvious." I replied. "I can use magic and I don't need to be a noble to do it."

"No, it's impossible!" Louise denied. "Only those born in nobility can use magic! You must be some noble _disguised_ as a commoner! Y–Yes, that's it! That _must_ be it!"

"Okay, first of all, you need to calm down." I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. "Take deep breaths slowly and relax."

"I _AM_ CALM!" Louise snapped at me.

"Your yelling says otherwise." I cringed, massaging my ear with my pinky.

"Explain yourself!" Louise demanded. "You have to be some kind of noble to be able to use magic!" I sighed and scratched my head. Siesta was even leaning in as she served us cake.

"Fine, I'll explain myself. Just sit and calm down while I'm at it." I sighed.

* * *

_The magical Wizard Rings: It contains the power of the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of Despair, a familiar with modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the Jewel of Hope: Kamen Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 2: Phantom Incursion

Louise calmed down and crossed her arms, looking expectant. Seeing that I had my chance, I decided to just get it out, "Okay, back in my home, magic is something of a lost art. Barely anybody believes it even exists, much less practice it. Despite this, the potential to use it still exists, even though there's no one to help them learn how to control it. These kinds of people are called Gates."

"Yes, you said something about that." Louise said.

"Okay, I'm just being thorough here." I nodded. "Now, magic reacts funny when it comes to emotions. When a Gate succumbs to despair, I mean being broken to the point that they think it would be better to shrivel up and die than to continue, their untapped magic manifests a creature called a Phantom which is born inside their subconscious. That creature destroys their last hope, the memory of their hope, and breaks free, killing their host and having the ability to mimic them."

"You mean… like what almost happened to you last night?" Louise asked.

I winced at the memory as it was still engraved in my mind. "Yes… exactly like what almost happened to me last night…"

"What happened?" asked Siesta, who then flinched when she realized she interrupted. Thankfully Louise didn't seem to care.

"Well, I manifested a Phantom last night when I saw that I was in a new world. I fell into despair thinking that I had been taken from my home and made into a slave." I explained, poking at my serving of cake. "But Louise managed to save me from it by promising to do her part in helping me and begging me to stay and be her friend."

Louise blushed and looked to the ground. Was it just me or did she look rather adorable like that?

"The Phantom didn't go away though. It's still inside of me, trapped in the memory of my hope which is dubbed as my Underworld." I explained. "A side effect of manifesting a Phantom and surviving though is that it allows me to harness mana within my body and use it in magic so long as I have a focus."

Siesta asked confused, "Focus? What's your focus?"

"Well, my WizarDriver and my Wizard Rings." I explained. "They're raw magic which are crystalized and when exposed to another source of mana, they cause a reaction which is the same as casting a spell. It's like a pre–prepared spell that needs only power to activate."

"Can we see them?" Siesta asked.

"Sure, I don't mind." I shrugged. "Give me a few seconds." I took out my Connect Ring and placed it on my right middle finger before placing my hand in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

A magic circle appeared in the air, shocking both girls. I stuck my hand into the circle and felt around, feeling the bag I kept the rings in before grabbing and pulling it back out. The magic circle vanished and I opened the bag to find my rings. "Ah, here we are." I said, taking out my Wizard Ring Box out of the bag and placing it in front of them before opening the box itself to reveal the rings.

"Ooooh, they're so beautiful!" Siesta gasped, looking over the rings, all of them being generic spells since I had the elemental ones in my pockets.

"I've never seen gemstones so big before!" Louise gasped in admiration. "How are you able to fit them inside these rings so easily? Most jewelers would break them trying."

"There's a special jeweler that can do the job." I said. "The materials needed to make rings this big are the ring frames used to fit the gemstones in and the raw Magic Stones."

"Are they like Wind Stones or Fire Stones?" asked Louise. "They're a mineral which is made when magic is compacted underground."

"Maybe," I shrugged. That would be something to look into later if I got the chance.

"So what are these rings anyways?" Siesta asked, picking up one of my five Engage Rings. Yes, I said five, because for some unexplained reason, when I ordered online, the company somehow read my order wrong!

"And what about the other colored rings you used?" Louise questioned.

"The one you're holding Siesta is a Spell Ring, which are obviously, the spells I use to help me out in battle. And the ones you're referring to Louise are my Elemental Rings." I answered, focusing on Louise. I wasn't quite sure how to explain the Engage Rings without making them sound like romantics to the maid. She was giving me an eye since I won the duel… "Those rings grant me my armor with an elemental power to it. As you've seen, they are Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth." I then took them out of my pocket and placed them on the table to show. "When using these rings, I'm able to access to what I call, the ring's Style."

"The ring's Style?" Louise asked.

"The form my armor takes when I use it." I replied. "I can use more Styles than these four, but I don't have those rings right now."

"Oh, what are these?" Siesta asked as she cupped in her hands, four more rings. The ones she held are the PlaMonster Rings.

I smiled, "I'm glad you asked that Siesta. Let me show you _my_ familiars." I slipped the Garuda Ring onto my finger and swiped it cross my Hand Author buckle.

**GARUDA! PLEASE!**

A small tray appeared in thin air, surprising the girls, before the parts floated up and was put together to create the Garuda PlaMonster and the tray disappeared. I then placed the ring in the slot on its chest and it came to life, chirping away.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Siesta giggled.

"I'll show you the other three too." I offered before repeating the process with the other rings.

**UNICORN! PLEASE!**

**KRAKEN! PLEASE!**

**GOLEM! PLEASE!**

One by one, the three PlaMonsters appeared and were brought to life as I inserted the rings into them. Unicorn and Kraken seemed just curious as Garuda, but Golem promptly found a napkin and hid underneath it, trembling. "Guess he's still shy." I chuckled.

"Awww, they're cute too!" Siesta cooed.

"Are you really sure you're not some noble in disguise?" Louise asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope, I'm not." I grinned. "I'm just an average guy who was a Gate until I got here."

Louise looked at me for a while longer until sighing saying, "Fine, I believe you."

"What? You really believe me?" I blinked. "A minute ago you looked like you'd deny it to the grave and admitting it would break reality as we know it. What changed your mind?"

"I–I don't know." Louise stuttered, looking away. "It's probably the look in your eyes saying that you're not lying about it. A–And you words seem sincere enough."

"Oh," I nodded. "Thanks. So what do we do with ourselves now?"

"Well, I suppose we should do our best to get along." Louise shrugged. She seemed to be less cheesed off or disbelieving of me, but I wasn't sure how much of that was because I proved I could use magic or because of some other reason. "I would like to learn more about this magic of yours."

"Sure, just as long as you see me as your equal and not some servant." I said.

Louise's eye twitched at that, but remained composed, before Louise with a bit of difficulty said, "Fair enough."

* * *

Louise and I chatted a little more, her wanting to know more about my magic. While it did conform to her style of using four elements, it was also radically different in its own way. Siesta had her own duties to tend to and left us, but we didn't stay long after that. It didn't stop several students from seating themselves near us so they could try and overhear what we were talking about, or simply gawk and talk over us with their friends. Apparently they thought either I was some bastard child of a noble who Louise paid to be her Familiar or Louise screwed up the summoning and was due to receive deep retribution from another noble family for kidnapping one of their members.

Of course, I had to answer to those rumors and told them that they were not true at all and that I was only an average commoner that can use magic. Nothing more, nothing less… They didn't believe me though. They thought I was just trying to cover up the scandal or some other political reason.

I even tried telling them that I had no political affiliation or that I wasn't involved in any scandal, but _that_ didn't seem to work _either_.

Nobles held their secrets close and were merely assuming that I was doing the same to prevent scandal to a number of families. Apparently despite how they mocked Louise, her family are; the big shots in the hierarchy and I was to them playing it safe by not embarrassing them.

Right now, I was in Louise's room with her so we can escape the students talking rumors about us. "This is ridiculous…" I groaned sitting at a table with my arms folded, laying my head on my arms.

"Well, you can use magic so obviously everyone will assume you are a noble as well." Louise shrugged, working on a letter of some kind.

"But I'm _not_ a noble." I said. "I'm just an average guy who can use magic thanks to a grumpy Dragon Phantom inside me."

_**'I **_**HEARD**_** THAT!'**_

_'You were _supposed_ to.'_ I fired at my new tenant.

I then heard WizarDragon grumble in my mind, _**'Stupid human logic…'**_

"Well it's just the way it is." Louise insisted. "Ever since the Founder created the current system only nobles have ever been able to use magic. Never has a commoner had the ability. So everyone is sure you have noble blood because you can use magic as well."

"Geez…" I sighed, before looking out the window. I have to admit that it looks nice at night. However, that was interrupted when I saw something lurking in the shadows. "Hey Louise, it's already curfew time right?" I asked.

"Of course," Louise nodded.

"Then who's down _there_?" I asked, pointing out the window. "Do you guys have night employees or something?"

"What?" Louise asked confused as she went up to the window to look. "Who _is_ that? And why is that person going to the maids and servants quarters?"

"It looks like we got ourselves an intruder." I grimaced. "Stay here and don't go anywhere!" I said, before running out of the room.

* * *

I ran down the stairs and through the empty hallways until I finally got downstairs and outside into the courtyard. I frantically scanned the area, trying to find where the intruder might be.

I was a little confused why someone was going for the servant quarters since this school was filled to the brim with kids who belonged to rich and influential families that would be perfect to ransom. Maybe it was a staff member having an affair? Either way, this could mean trouble so I had to do something!

Taking out a ring, I said, "Time for me to call help." and placing my hand in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**GARUDA! PLEASE!**

The little PlaMonster appeared and I quickly brought it to life. It cooed and flapped in the air, waiting for orders. "Get to the headmaster, that bald teacher from today, heck even a secretary, just get someone in charge and alert them to an intruder on the grounds!"

Garuda tweeted and took off for the towers of the main school building. Come to think of it, how did he know where to go? Bah, I'd ask it later!

I kept looking around until I finally found the house where the maids and servants were quartered. When I got to the front of the house, I heard, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Okay, that _definitely_ sounds like trouble! I immediately ran for the house.

I dashed to the house and unceremoniously kicked in the door. Inside were several beds with maids in their nightgowns occupying them or running to the far sides of the room. At one bed in particular was a man in dark robes holding up a dagger above the occupant. His body blocked my sight, but I knew what I had to do. I charged at him, aiming to use a shoulder tackle to knock him down. I ran, aiming for the center of his back when…

…he jumped.

I nearly stumbled when he jumped straight up to the ceiling. I looked up and saw that he was actually sticking to the ceiling of all things! I managed to get my balance before I crashed into the bed, but I couldn't help but gape.

"Who are you, Spider–man?" I couldn't help asking.

"Spider something." the man chuckled, looking down at me. "You should have stayed out of this human. You would have lived longer!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" I shouted as I put on the Driver on Ring and placed it in front of the buckle.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

That caused the man to stiffen and if the darkness of his hood didn't conceal him, I was pretty sure he would have been gaping, "The Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai!? Here?"

"Yappari… I should've _guessed_ you were a Phantom." I scoffed. "That makes things a lot easier, so I'll make this quick!" I said, before placing the Flame Style Ring on my left middle finger and used the Shift Levers to switch the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

It kept repeating as I showed the Flame Style Ring and flipped the visor down, shouting, "Henshin!" before placing it in front of the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

The magic circle passed over me, adorning me in my Flame Style armor. The Phantom growled and I saw eight sparkles light up underneath his hood before he leaped to the front of the room, smashing out of the window and into the courtyard. I gave chase, dashing out the front door and viewing my opponent.

He had transformed into his true form, exposing his Phantom identity to me. His legs were thick and muscled with shaggy calves and two–clawed toes. He also wore a shaggy black loincloth with a belt that was adorned with a yellow gemstone. His chest was muscular, painted with the white forms of a small human, a snake, a bee, and a leopard. His abdomen was oddly shaped and his arms were longer than normal, sporting three–clawed hands. His face looked like a tribal mask, metal or stone carved into it and adorned with eight gemstone-like eyes. The sides were adorned with scraggly black hair and spider-like legs. On his back was a bulge, an abdomen–like extension, to enhance his spider looks. Tied to his waist was a gourd–like object with a cork sticking out of the top.

"Che… basing yourself; as Anansi huh?" I asked.

_**"Oh, you know your stories."**_ the Anansi Phantom chuckled. _**"Are they up for sale?"**_

"All I know is that whoever you're _targeting_ isn't for sale!" I snapped as I switched rings on my right hand and switched the Hand Author.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

The magic circle appeared in thin air and I stuck my hand in it before pulling out the WizarSwordGun. "Prepare to fall before the Jewel of Hope! It's Showtime!" I shouted before charging at the Anansi Phantom.

_**"For Wiseman!"**_ the Anansi Phantom snarled before charging back at me.

Great… Wiseman is here too… I was afraid of that.

With that, both of us charged at each other. I swung my WizarSwordGun in an arc but the Anansi Phantom blocked with his clawed hands before kicking me back, making me stumble.

I shook my head and charged for an overhead swing, which he blocked and held with both hands. I would have kicked him, but then his abdomen suddenly unfolded into two pairs of arms which struck me in the chest and knocked me back again. So his abdomen wasn't just a weird design, but he was hiding his extra arms in it! Crap!

"Put your hands down will ya?!" I snarled before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**BIND! PLEASE!**

Magic circles appeared and sent out metal chains, each of them wrapping around the Phantom's limbs and pinning him into place. He grunted and tried to move, but the chains were just too tight. Seeing my chance, I switched to Gun Mode and pulled open the Hand Author on my weapon.

**COME ON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS! COME ON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS!**

Then I swiped my Flame Style Ring over it.

**FLAME! SHOOTING STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I shouted, "Burn!" as a huge fireball formed before I shot out a flamethrower.

_**"I don't think so!"**_ The Anansi Phantom shouted as he… suddenly broke down into many spiders?! Dang it! Not what I had in mind!

I took aim at the Phantom and fired, unleashing a stream of magic fire at the monster. By the time he reformed back into one, the fire made a direct hit.

*BOOM!*

There was an explosion which felt to me like a bomb had gone off. I looked at the crackling flames. Did I get him?

When the smoke cleared, I was shocked that it wasn't the Anansi Phantom, but a burnt wooden dwarf doll!

"Dang it, he got away!" I gritted.

_**"I'll be back tomorrow, for the Gate, Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai!"**_ The Anansi Phantom's voice rang out in the air.

I approached the smoking crater, but saw no remains beyond the doll. Apparently the Phantom could make decoy to take deathblows for him. That was going to be troublesome.

Going back to civilian form, I raced back into the house with the scared maids still there. "Is everyone alright?" I asked.

"Who was that man?" demanded one of the maids. "He tried to kill Siesta! The poor girl's terrified!"

"What?" I gasped in shock as I turned to Siesta who looked really shaken up. I don't blame her. But… is Siesta really a Gate?!

"Wh–Wh–Who was that?" Siesta trembled, looking like she was about to cry. "Why did he want to hurt me? What did I do?"

I knew I should have explained why the Phantom was after her, but she was way too emotional to really take in any kind of information. I'd have to explain it later, but she'd have to calm down. "It's okay Siesta…" I said, as I hugged her to calm her down. "I'm right here…"

"What did I do? I didn't do anything…" Siesta sobbed, clutching me tightly.

"You didn't do anything…" I assured. "He was just a bad man who wants to hurt people for no reason. But don't worry. If he comes again, I'll protect you."

Siesta continued to sob and hold me tightly as I tried to soothe her.

Soon the bald headed professor and an old bearded man came barging into the room with Garuda leading them. "What in the Founder's name happened here?" asked the balding man, the bearded man beside him suddenly distracted by something in the room.

"It's a long story." I sighed.

That's when Louise also came into the room too saying, "Kurogasa, what happened?"

"I'll explain later." I repeated. Siesta's peace of mind took priority to me. Once she was calmed down and sleeping peacefully again I could explain what had happened.

* * *

Siesta finally calmed down and was fast asleep and soon after, Louise and I were now in the Headmaster's Office along with the bald professor. "Can we finally receive that explanation you promised while you were comforting the young lady?" asked the old man. He was introduced by Louise as Headmaster Osmond, the headmaster of the school. Next to him at the desk was the bald teacher from the summoning ceremony, Professor Colbert.

"Yes. I will explain everything." I nodded. "What transpired tonight was that a Phantom tried attacking one of the maids."

"A what, you say?" Osmond asked.

"A Phantom… they're creatures that are born from the despair of Men. Their goal is to create more Phantoms by driving Gates, humans who have the potential to use magic, into despair."

"Potential to use magic?" asked Osmond. "Then why would this creature attack one of the maids rather than the students? She is a commoner is she not?"

"Maybe she's a descendant of someone who was able to use magic and the gift passed to her," I shrugged. "Noble stereotypes back home seem to mention a penchant for taking mistresses now and then. I assume it happens here and there in this country too."

"Hmmmmm…" Osmond said, taking this all in.

"In any case, with a Phantom here, it's my duty to protect the Gates. In this case, it's Siesta." That Phantom wasn't going to stop until it killed her and had her replaced with another Phantom.

"When will it come back?" Colbert asked.

"The Phantom said he will come back tomorrow for Siesta." I answered. "But he didn't _when_ he'll attack tomorrow, so we have to be ready for anything." I then turned to Osmond, asking, "Can you make this known to all your students tomorrow morning so that they are aware Headmaster?"

"I'd rather not stir up a panic." the old man replied, stroking his beard. "Although… I can make warnings about a prowler breaking into the Academy. It would ensure the students to stay put, get fair warning, as well as have them take it seriously. Not many would believe in your Phantom creature without having seen it first."

"I understand." I nodded.

"So what are you going to do?" Louise asked.

"I'm going to stay with Siesta at all times, Louise." I replied. "That Phantom could be anywhere."

I wasn't exaggerating either. With how it can crawl on walls and break apart into smaller spiders, it could come from anywhere. No amount of normal guards could actually stop it.

"Very well then… We are counting on you to handle this situation as best as possible." Osmond nodded.

"Yes sir." I bowed before Louise and I took our leave.

* * *

The next day arrived and Osmond gathered everyone in the Academy and warned them of the danger. Everyone was rather a bit unnerved and scared, but they were ready and they took it seriously. After the meeting, the school day went on as usual and I was walking with Siesta who was right now on break after I helped out with a few chores since I had nothing else to do. I wanted to stay close to her in case the Phantom returned. She certainly didn't mind my company though.

"How are you feeling now, Siesta?" I asked.

"I'm a little scared." Siesta admitted. "But I'm better with you here." she finished with a thankful smile.

"I'm glad to hear that." I smiled back. "As I said last night, if that man comes back, I'll protect you."

"I know you will." Siesta said.

"So Siesta… how long have you been here as a maid?" I asked.

"Why do you ask?" Siesta asked back.

"O–Oh, it's nothing really." I chuckled nervously, looking up with a slight blush. "I–I just thought I'd like to get to know you more."

"Oh…" Siesta smiled. "Well, for some time now I suppose. My family needed a bigger income than just farming since so many of my siblings are still too small to work. So I came here."

"I see." I nodded. "Have you thought of what you want to do that's outside of being a maid here? Maybe like having a dream job or something?

"Ehehe," Siesta giggled. "Well, my dream job would be to be a housewife and taking care of a vineyard. Right now this is all for my family."

"A vineyard huh…?"

"Uh–huh," Siesta nodded before she reached into her pocket and pulled out some kind of charm. It was a tiny wine glass about 5 centimeters attached to a rope. "My father got me this from a small trinket shop for my birthday. It reminds me to keep going and work my best so I can get the dream job I've always wanted."

"So in a sense… it's your hope?" I asked.

"Well, yes." Siesta nodded. "It reminds me of my dreams and what I want to do with my life."

"I see…" A voice suddenly said. What the–! Siesta and I turned around to see a random student a few feet in front of us, but for reason, I can sense in malice in him. "That's handy information to have." He grinned… before black markings appeared over his face. And moments later the student reverted to… the Anansi Phantom?!

"Darn it!" I gritted, while some of the students saw the Anansi Phantom and screamed, suddenly causing panic among the students who were students. "Siesta, get out of here! Run!"

_**"I don't think so…"**_ the Anansi Phantom chuckled as he took out from his sides… Ghoul Stones!? This is bad!

Where the heck was he getting stuff like that?

He threw the Ghoul Stones and they quickly shifted and grew into the foot soldiers of the Phantoms. They all clutched their weapons and began shambling towards us menacingly.

_**"Get the Gate!" **_the Anansi Phantom snapped. _**"I'm not wasting this opportunity!"**_

"Not on my watch!" I shouted.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver appeared and I flipped the Hand Author to the left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

It kept repeating before placing the Flame Style Ring on my left middle finger, and flipped the visor down shouting, "Henshin!"

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I quickly transformed just as the Ghouls charged. I moved into action and swatted the first one aside before punching the second. To be honest the Ghouls really weren't all that threatening. I mean, Guiche's golems were about the same threat level, if only a bit slower. Taking the opportunity to kick one away, I swapped out one of my rings.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

The circle appeared and I pulled out the WizarSwordGun in Sword Mode before slashing at the Ghoul Phantoms. Meanwhile, Osmond, Colbert, and Louise arrived at the scene. "Get back!" I snapped, shooting off several rounds into the Ghouls.

What in Founder's–!" Osmond gasped.

"What's all this?!" Louise demanded.

"I said stay back! These Ghoul Phantoms are trouble!" I shouted.

_**"Oh look! Distractions!"**_ the Anansi Phantom laughed. He took out another handful of Ghoul Stones and threw them at the others, landing at their feet.

"Huh?" the three asked confused. Soon, the stones formed into Ghoul Phantoms and the three backed off in surprise.

"What in–!"

"Mou~ why can't you listen to what I say!?" I shouted before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

Another magic circle passed over me, creating a perfect copy of me. Me and… the other me looked at one another before nodding. He ran to fight the Ghouls around the others while I pushed onward to take on the Phantom.

"Get out of my way!" I shouted before switching rings and flipped the Hand Author twice again.

**BIG! PLEASE!**

I punched forward, my arm passing through another circle. It emerged on the other side the size of a tree trunk. My massive punch smashed through the ranks of Ghouls and caused them to explode. My fist also smashed into the Phantom, but he collapsed into spiders again to avoid the blow.

"Two can play at that game!" I growled, as I switched both rings on my hands. I first flipped the Hand Author to the left.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

The blue magic circle went down on me as I passed through assuming Water Style before I switched the Hand Author back to the right.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

I collapsed into water and surged at the mass of spiders. Despite their ability to stick to walls, I managed to sweep them all up inside of my liquid form.

It felt so weird…

We continued battling each other as blobs of spiders and water trying to outdo each other before we had to revert back to our full forms since it was practically pointless.

_**"Heh, it seems that we're evenly matched."**_ the Anansi Phantom panted.

"You say that now…" I muttered, swapping out another ring and flipping the Hand Author to my left. "So let's try this!"

**LAND! PLEASE!**

The yellow magic circle appeared below me and rocks started floating up.

**DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

The circle went through me and I assumed Land Style before switching one of my rings again.

**DRILL! PLEASE!**

With that, I jumped up and corkscrewed down towards the Anansi Phantom. I was suddenly stopped by whatever this thing was, and saw that it was actually webbing that stopped me! Crap!

After I stopped, I was swung around and got slammed into one of the walls of the Academy and the worst part was that the remaining webbing stuck onto me to the wall, meaning, I can't get out of this!

_**"**_**Stick**_** around! It's going to get interesting!"**_ the Anansi Phantom laughed.

Stupid webbing, if only… gah! Get this off of me!

I then saw the Anansi Phantom slowly walking towards Siesta, who was crawling away. "Come, my dear. Fall into despair and give birth to a new Phantom!"

"You stay away from her!" I yelled.

The Anansi Phantom stalked towards Siesta who was being accosted by the Ghouls just like the others. Unlike Louise and the others, she didn't have magic to try and hold them off. They had her by the arms as the Phantom drew closer. "Please, let me go! Let me go!" Siesta cried out as tears streamed down her face.

_**"No, no, no."**_ the Phantom chuckled. _**"Not until you fall into despair and manifest a Phantom like me!"**_

"Ha! You're wasting your time!" Louise snapped, promptly blowing up a Ghoul with some spell I think was supposed to make a fireball. "She's a commoner! She's got no magic whatsoever!"

_**"Ha! Shows what you inbred losers know!"**_ The Anansi Phantom laughed. _**"Magic is in everything and everyone to a various degree! Everyone has magic, and it's just a question if they have enough to be called a magic user. Miss Maid here has plenty, more than enough to manifest a Phantom!"**_

"KONO YAROOOOOOOOOOO!" My clone shouted charging towards the Anansi Phantom. That's right! I completely forgot about my clone! He leaped at the Phantom, shooting silver bullets at him which caused him to recoil from each blow. Silver was a poisonous substance to Phantoms so anything made of it would be a good weapon against them.

_**"I've had enough of this!"**_ The Anansi Phantom yelled as he opened up his gourd and… released a swarm of wasps?!

My clone swatted at the wasps, but as expected it wasn't very effective. The wasps on the other hand would land on him and sting him, causing blasts of sparks which looked like they really hurt from my vantage point. Unfortunately, it was too much for my clone and the clone disappeared.

Things were getting intense now. I struggled with my bonds again, trying to break the damn webbing that the Phantom trussed me up in. I had to get out of here before that monster hurt Siesta! _**"Now my dear…"**_ the Anansi Phantom said as he walked towards Siesta and grabbed the small wine glass charm from her. He then bellowed, _**"Fall into despair!"**_ and crushed the charm in his fist. The pieces fell, tinkling on the ground. Siesta's eyes widened in horror before the Ghoul Phantoms let her go. She fell to her knees as she felt something painful in her chest making her clutch onto it.

"NO!" I cried out. I don't know if it was a surge of adrenaline or my magic, but the webs finally snapped and I was free from them. Grabbing the WizarSwordGun, I dashed at the Phantom with the intent to kill. Switching to Sword Mode, I scanned the ring on its Hand Author.

**C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS!**

**LAND! SLASH STRIKE! DO, DO, DON! DO, DO, DON!**

Yellow magic circles surrounded the blade and a focused sand tornado with stones coated the blade of the WizarSwordGun before sending that towards the Anansi Phantom.

_**"Huh?"**_ The Phantom blinked, turning around.

"Eat my dust!" I shouted as I sent towards the Ghoul Phantoms, destroying them in the process before it finally hit the Anansi Phantom head on. The Phantom screamed as it hit, blasting straight through him and lighting up with a yellow magic circle. A yellow slash of energy glowed across his torso as he tumbled.

"Now Anansi, take your final bow!" I growled, lowering my weapon. The Phantom screamed back before collapsing and exploding.

Not wasting any more time, I switched rings back to Flame Style.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

As soon as I passed through the magic circle and assumed Flame Style, I immediately ran towards Siesta who was still on her knees. "Siesta, are you okay?!" I asked frantically, as Louise, Colbert, Osmond, and a few other students including Montmorency, Guiche, the blue haired girl, and to my dismay Kirche, came over to surround me and Siesta.

*CRACK!*

A glowing purple crack suddenly broke out along her chest. Black dust rose up from the crack as more of them spread out along her chest. The purple glow was ominous and much more evil looking than from the show. I was also pretty sure that something was moving inside of the purple glow.

Everyone surrounding us murmured amongst themselves in worry and fright.

"Kurogasa, what's happening to her?!" Louise demanded.

"She's falling into despair!" I gritted. "The Phantom inside her is killing her from the inside, feeding off of her despair! If this keeps up, she's going to die!"

"What?" Colbert gasped. "What can we do? Can we extract it? Is there a cure? Anything at all…?"

"I know one way, but it won't be easy." I replied. Reaching to my rings, I removed one of the Engage Rings. Looking at it, I prayed that like the other Rings it too had become real. Taking Siesta's hand, I slipped it onto her ring finger where it rest comfortably.

"What are you doing?" asked Louise.

"Becoming her hope," I answered. "Siesta, can you hear me?"

"…y…yes…" Siesta murmured. Crap, she was fading fast!

"Siesta, hang in there! I'm going to save you!"

"I… I don't know… if I can…"

"No Siesta! Don't give up on me! I'll save you! I'll become your new hope!"

"You…?" She asked, looking at me.

"Yes! And I vow to keep that hope alive in you!"

Siesta seemed to take solace in that, "…please… help me…"

"I will." I nodded as more purple cracks appeared on her body. I better make this fast! I flipped the Hand Author to my right and stretched Siesta's hand towards the Hand Author.

**ENGAGE! PLEASE!**

At that point, Siesta fell unconscious as a red magic circle appeared just above her. I stood up and to everyone's surprise I jumped up in the magic circle, going into Siesta's Underworld.

* * *

_The tunnel to Siesta's Underworld was dark purple with my magic circles opening a tunnel for me. It was almost kaleidoscopic in a way. It didn't last long before I passed through one circle and landed on the ground. Looking around, I saw I was in some kind of rural farm area, and the kind medieval peasants would work on. Nearby was a rather nice house and outside was a man with shaggy black hair and a little girl in his arms._

_"That must be Siesta and her father…" I muttered, knowing that no one in an Underworld would be able to see me._

_"Hi Papa!" little Siesta said happily._

_"My little girl," Her father laughed heartily. "How are ya?"_

_"I'm doing great!" little Siesta chirped._

_"Good! Good!" Her father nodded happily. "Oh, I have something for you!"_

_"You do?" asked little Siesta._

_"That's right!" the man smiled. "Remember when we made that delivery to the lord's vineyard? I got you a present while we were there. I knew you'd like it after we saw some of the things there."_

_"Really," Siesta gasped excitedly._

_"I sure did." Her father said before reaching into his pocket and pulled out the small wine glass charm._

_"It's so pretty!" Siesta gasped, reaching for the charm…_

_*CRACK!*_

_The entire scene was engulfed in a purple crack before it exploded into shards. Emerging from it was a large black Pegasus covered from head to toe in black jagged armor. It neighed loudly before taking off into the sky, leaving glowing purple cracks as it went._

_"Oh great… a Pegasus Phantom…" I groaned. "This isn't gonna end well…" I then switched rings looking at the one I took. "And this one is gonna hurt…" I added before flipping the Hand Author._

**DRAGORISE! PLEASE!**

_A magic circle appeared above and WizarDragon burst out of it. Looking at him, he was more mechanical than flesh, and is covered in white armor with gold claws and horns, having a pair of small wings, and has a gemstone on its chest. "I am going to regret this…" I sighed before looking up, "Dragon! Are we going to play nice together, or are we going to have to do this Haruto's way?"_

_The WizarDragon looked down at me before it roared before it slapped me with its tail, knocking me to the ground, and took off flying through the air. It collided with the Pegasus Phantom and both began tumbling through the sky. They crashed against several portions of the sky, leaving several cracks in the air before they hit the ground. It made the biggest crack of all and served to be less than helpful to me._

_"Ow… that figures…" I groaned, while getting up before slipping on another ring and flipping the Hand Author twice. "Please let this work!"_

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

_A big magic circle appeared in front of me and I stuck my hand in it. I then felt… a handle? I pulled on it and… out came the Machine Winger! Kamen Rider Wizard's motorcycle! YES! _

_I hopped on and hit the ignition, taking off towards the fight. The Pegasus had kicked off Dragon and took to the skies again. The Dragon was rolling over onto its feet again and was preparing to take off again. "Alright, Dragon, you need to be controlled!" I shouted before I revved up the engine and made the motorcycle jump up high and land on WizarDragon's back._

_The machine quickly split in half, leaving me sitting on the seat with the handlebars. The rest of the machine became a new pair of wings for the Dragon as I attached to his back. He fought it for a moment, but his aggression soon vanished and he became more docile._

_"Yosha, now _that's_ more like it!" I grinned more like it. "Okay Dragon, let's take out this Phantom!"_

_Dragon Roared and we took off into the air for Pegasus. The giant Phantom was trying to break open the sky and escape. Not on my watch! _

_I flipped open the Hand Author on my WizarSwordGun._

**C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS!**

_After that, I scanned the ring._

**FLAME! SLASH STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

_I slashed wide, ending a wave of cutting fire at the Phantom. It seemed to notice me, diving away. However, it didn't dive fast enough and it clipped the wings of the monster. The Pegasus neighed and began to fall from the air, too many feathers being clipped._

_"Alright, we got it on the ropes!" I cheered. "Ok Dragon, let's dive down!" I said. WizarDragon roared at my command, as it dived towards the Pegasus Phantom. His claws grabbed the said Phantom, making the latter neigh in pain. Dragon inhaled deeply and unleashed several blasts of fire which exploded against the Phantom's hide, causing the beast to lose all control, and fall in a smoking heap._

_"Now it's time for the grand finale!" I shouted, before switching rings and flipped the Hand Author twice._

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

_I leaped into the air as the Machine Winger and the WizarDragon separated. The Dragon reconfigured to look like a giant claw while my machine attached to the back to keep control going. I positioned myself and let my fire magic engulf me as I kicked against the construct, making us go down like a meteor kick._

_"SORYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," I yelled._

_We crashed into the Phantom, smashing it down to the ground in the process. It screeched loudly before it exploded, sending a golden shockwave through the Underworld. The cracks we made in the fight flashed gold and vanished, allowing the memory to play once again. WizarDragon returned to normal as I landed on the ground, happy to see all of the damage vanishing around us._

_"Phwee… that was close…" I sighed before looking at the young Siesta and her dad as the scene continued._

_"It's so pretty!" little Siesta squealed in joy, taking the charm._

_"I'm glad you like it!" Her father smiled._

_I smiled as the memory concluded with little Siesta fawning over the charm. WizarDragon growled and vanished into a magic circle as I did the same, heading back to the real world where hopefully everyone would be okay._

* * *

Back in the real world, the red magic circle appeared, surprising the students and I came out of the circle with my Machine Winger in tow, shocking them even more, due to the fact that they never seen a motorcycle before. I looked back to see Siesta and the cracks all over her body turned golden before they faded away, meaning that she's back to normal.

"Thank goodness…" I sighed in relief.

Getting off of my ride, I went back to civilian form and went towards the unconscious Siesta while Louise still gawked at me.

"W–What did you do?" Louise asked.

"To be blunt, I entered her Underworld and destroyed her Phantom." I replied.

"You did?" Louise gasped.

"Yeah, but thanks to destroying her Phantom, she's no longer a Gate. She's now a regular human like anyone else."

"She's a regular human? You said she had the potential to wield magic though." said Louise with a frown.

"She did, but when a Phantom manifests, it uses all of their victim's magic to manifest and destroying the Phantom is the same as destroying all of their magic." I replied. "Now I don't know if it will eventually return or not, but right now she has absolutely no magic left."

"I… see…" Louise said.

"Well, I better get her to bed. Siesta must be really exhausted after all what she's been through." I said, before picking and carrying her up in my arms, her head resting on my shoulder. I then walked into the house with the students looking on.

With these Phantoms running about in this world, it's my job to, no… it's my duty take them out and give hope to any and everyone who falls into despair.

I just hope that I don't screw up.

* * *

Well, isn't _that _exciting! Yep, today's Phantom was the Anasi Phantom. You know what that means? It means that all the Phantoms are going to be orginial! Hopefully, this chapter will keep you entertained until I update again. Anyways, that's all for now, but don't worry, I'll keep your hopes of me continuing this story by me updating it! This story will continue on! So thanks for reading and as always, review!


	3. The Subtle Heat's Allure

Hello everyone, it's your buddy Fenikkusumaru, here to bring to you another chapter of Wizard of Zero! So let's get with the story! Oh, before I do, I better address something. About the opening, I know it's kinda like The Wild Fang's version of his crossover of Familiar of Zero and Kamen Rider Wizard, but I assure you all, it's all coincidental that the openings are somehow similar in terms of what's happening in the song. I don't want you people thinking I am scamming the Wild Fang for copying his song or something like that. I don't want you people thinking that he started it, but it all ended up having me taking all of the credit. Just thought I'd get that clear with ya. So anyways, with that being said, let's go with the story!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

It's been a few days since the Anansi Phantom attacked Tristain Academy and my fight with the Phantom and Siesta's rescue from falling into despair, restoring her hope, spread like a virus. It was the talk of the school. I have to admit, I kinda like this attention. Since then, all the staff members who were servants or maids would come up and want to talk to me, which I have no problem with. It's good to know that I at least got fans in the commoners.

Best of all, I had Siesta as my number one fan since I saved her. Although during the first couple days, it was a bit awkward. When I told her about how I used the Engage Ring to save her, she immediately assumed something that involved romantic stuff, but I quickly managed to clear the air with that. Still, the awkward part about it was that people started talking about Siesta and I being a couple since I gave the ring to her. Of course, both of us were embarrassed about it, but Siesta understood that it wasn't the case. However, it _did_ cross my mind. Maybe somewhere along the way, if Siesta really _was_ the one for me, then yeah, I'd probably marry her. Wait a minute, what am I saying?! Why am I talking about marriage already?! I'm only 17 for crying out loud.

The nobles on the other hand truly became respectful. Repeatedly I exhibited magic both similar to theirs and along the lines of something they'd never seen before. As far as they were concerned, I was a noble like them, just from a foreign nation. I had stopped trying to correct them since they never believed me. Of course, I was beginning to get the distinct impression that several were going to try and pull me into the game of politics if only to bring support of a powerful magic–user to their side. How they figured I would enhance their agendas, I don't know, but they believed it.

As of tonight, I'm enjoying food that the Academy's chef, Marteau, cooked up in the kitchen. Even though it was all leftovers from the nobles, how he cooked it was amazing. It tasted that good!

"Wow, this is the best food I've ever eaten!" I exclaimed happily.

"Only the best for Our Sword!" the jolly chef grinned.

Marteau wasn't my biggest fan at first. Although he appreciated the fact I stuck up for Siesta, the fact that I was capable of using magic made him think I was a noble. To put it simply, he hated dealing with nobles despite being a chef for a school of them. I guess he had to deal with one too many spoiled snobs mucking up his life on a whim or something. Still, Siesta explained to him the status of magic in my home world and once I confirmed it, he was as jolly as they came. He often hinted he wanted me to help him learn magic though.

"…Our Sword?" I blinked.

"That's right! You saved Siesta and you knocked off one of the nobles off his high horse! Not to mention that you're a _commoner_ that can use magic! You're the pride of us commoners: Our Sword!"

I couldn't help but chuckle lightly at that. As far as nicknames went, it could be worse I suppose. If the other servants shared Marteau's view, it served to explain why some of them seemed to be reverent of me. I just hoped that they didn't think I was going to be some sort of revolutionary which would redefine the social classes. I didn't quite think I had that much initiative in me.

"I only did what I could." I shrugged. "Besides, I really didn't do anything that notable. I just... somehow get caught in these situations."

"You see? A true master never boasts about his skills! That's very impressive!" Marteau said to his coworkers.

I'm a master all of a sudden? I was just a fan boy who lucked into skills he knew back and forth beforehand. I would've tried to correct him, but like the nobles who saw me as one of them, likely the Servants wouldn't believe it either. To them, I was just being friendly and humble, not wanting to lord my status over the others around me. While the praise and adoration was uplifting for my ego I didn't want to become something I wasn't.

"Anyways, whenever you wanna grab a bite to eat, come over to the kitchen and I'll cook something up for ya! I, the great chef Marteau can make any magnificent food taste great! It's my _own_ form of magic!"

"No _wonder_ your food tastes so good." I chuckled.

"Oh, you're a great guy Kurogasa!" Marteau said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "You're so great, I just wanna kiss you!"

"Please don't." I sweat dropped. "A hearty meal is good enough for me."

Marteau heartily laughed at that. "Of course, not only are you a master, but you're modest too. That's very impressive."

The chefs, servants, and maids chattered happily amongst each other. I looked to Siesta, and she smiled at me, making me smile back.

* * *

_The magical Wizard Rings: It contains the power of the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of Despair, a familiar with modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the Jewel of Hope: Kamen Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Subtle Heat's Allure

"Ahhhhh… that was some good food…" I sighed in content, patting my stomach as I walked down the hallway, on my way back to Louise's room.

Reaching the room in question, I entered it to find Louise fiddling with my Wizard Rings, apparently trying to cast spells with them. With the rings on her fingers, she was wave her hands about before pointing out with commands like, 'Fireball!' or 'Tornado!' but to no effect. The stones in the rings didn't shine nor did they show any reaction to Louise's experiments.

"Uh… what are you doing Louise?" I asked, startling her.

Her cheeks turned red as she snapped at me saying, "N–Nothing! I… I was just curious! About your rings I mean! So… so I decided to experiment a little!"

"Experiment a little?" I asked raising an eyebrow, crossing my arms leaning against the doorway that was still open. "The way _I_ see it, I think you're actually trying to _use_ it."

"S–So _what_ if I was trying to use it? If you can cast spells with these I can too!" Louise huffed.

"Sorry Louise, but it doesn't work that way."

Louise looked at me incredulously and asked, "Why not?!"

"The stones absorb magic power to cast the spells, but only when it's drawn in through the material that makes up my Hand Author." I gestured to my belt. "It creates a channel from my source, the Phantom inside of me, which draws the magic into the ring to activate it. We can both use magic, but the source of my power is drastically different from yours."

"Mmmm…" Louise pouted, puffing one cheek.

"Then again, you _could_ get it if you were a Gate, and would have to fall into despair and hold onto your hope on your own. But you and I both know that you don't want that."

Louise shivered at the thought. Seeing the pain myself and Siesta went through probably switched her off the idea of trying to learn magic my way.

"Well… you have a point there." Louise mumbled grudgingly.

Technically, if Louise made a contract with a Phantom like Chimera she could use my kind of magic. I sincerely doubted that there would be a Phantom that would accept such a contract though. Chimera was a special case as far as I knew, the cannibalistic beast that he was.

"Don't worry though. I'm sure your own magic has it uses." I assured.

"Yes, being zero…" Louise grumbled.

"Okay, I'll give you that. But I'm sure the potential is there. You have to… I don't know… get that magic to wake up somehow."

"Wake up?" Louise frowned.

"Yeah, wake it up." I nodded. "I guess in a sense, you're… _kinda_ like a Gate."

Louise asked, "How?"

"Well, we know you have magic in you. You wouldn't have been able to summon me otherwise." I explained. "So I think if you're having as much trouble with magic as it seems, you either just have too much and that's why everything explodes or your body can't channel the magic properly for some reason."

"Hmm…" Louise pondered.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna do my daily routine night watch for Phantoms for a few hours, and then head back here to turn in for the night. I'll see ya later." I waved off.

* * *

As for that night watch, well, lucky for me there were no Phantoms. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I doubt they would attack after what happened with the Anansi Phantom. I've sent Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem out just to double check, despite Golem still being a bit shy as usual. When they got back, they all came to the same conclusion that there were no Phantoms anywhere. So after that, I went back into the tower and up the stairs to go back to Louise's room and turn in for the night.

"Oh man…" I yawned. "What a day. Well, there's no Phantom tonight, so I'm gonna go to bed…" However, when I turned the corner, there was something at the end of the hallway. In front of me, was a large red salamander with a flame on the tip of its tail with its yellow and black slit eyes staring at me as its tongue flickered.

"Hey… aren't you…" I remember seeing this salamander somewhere… during the past few days, I've been here. I've seen different familiars of all kinds. They were mostly animals and some were bizarre like this floating eye thing called a Bugbear. That thing looked nothing like the Bugbear I saw from the Tales of Phantasia video game, which by the way is a great game. That aside, that salamander in front of me was also one of the familiars I saw…

Then it hit me. IT belonged to Kirche!

"Oh crap!" I freaked out, as I tried to make a run for it, but the salamander was too quick and tackled me to the ground, making me land face first. After that, it grabbed me by the back of my coat and lifted me up so that it was standing on its hind legs. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Let go of me, you overgrowing Charmander!" I shouted, flailing around.

That thing wouldn't listen and the next thing I know I'm being carried off, the stupid thing on its hind legs so it could walk while still holding me in its mouth. It's not every day that you're being carried by the mouth of a huge salamander but for crying out loud this is something I _definitely_ didn't want to experience while I'm here! This is so wrong in more ways than one! It didn't seem to be that long of a ride because the stupid lizard dropped me on the floor.

"Dang…" At least that ride was done. But now where was I? I looked around. It seemed similar to Louise's room… And why is it dark and have candles all around? Wait a minute… a dark room full of candles? Oh no… this was bad! This is really, _really_ bad!"

"Welcome…" A soft, feminine voice greeted me as I looked up… and regretted doing.

It was Kirche in her pajamas, rather revealing ones at that! She was wearing a purple nightgown that reached to her mid–thigh, but was open at the front to reveal her purple panties. In other words, Kirche was wearing lingerie! This is _REALLY_ bad! I wanna get out of here now!

"Uh… hi…?" I said almost uncertainly. "So, how are you doing?"

"That's no way to greet your host." Kirche pouted playfully, before smiling seductively again. "I just wanted to welcome you to my suite room, Kurosaga… or is that Kurogasa?"

"Just… Kurogasa..." I stuttered. Yeah, this was _definitely _bad! I want out of here!

"You got it… Kurogasa…" Kirche said before striking a seductive pose. "I know this sounds dirty, but my nickname is Kirche "The Ardent"." Looking at me huskily she said, "Like a torch, I'm easy to turn on."

AND IT'S EASY THAT YOUR FORWARDNESS TURNS ME OFF!

"Don't you get it? I'm in love with you."

NO YOU'RE NOT! YOU JUST WANNA GET INTO MY PANTS!

She was beginning to draw in closer to me, causing me to become even more nervous. Fortunately, I was saved when someone actually came to her window, as strange as that was. He looked like another one of the students. He also didn't look all that pleased either.

"Kirche," He whined. "You said we were going to meet tonight! What was all that you said about sharing an evening of hot passion? And who's that guy?!"

"Oh Sticks!" Kirche gasped. "Sorry, but I'm a bit busy right now. Let's move our date two hours from now."

"That wasn't the deal!" Sticks shouted.

With a wave of her wand, one of the flames of the candles turned into a flame snake and shot it at Stick's face, sending him down to the ground.

I managed to stutter out, "I–Isn't that, uh… Th–Three story f–fall?"

"Oh, he's fine." Kirche waved off, before turning to me with that seductive smirk, making me sweat. "Now… where were we?" Kirche smiled as she crawled towards me, causing me to crabwalk backwards as she said, "My family have always been connected with romance and desire, and right now, I want to burn up in my passion for you!"

I'M GONNA BURN UP IN THE INFERNO IF I DON'T GET OUT OF HERE!

I kept crab–walking until she had me pinned up against the wall. Then, oh no, she straddled me right on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Oh, that's so cute, you're shy… You must be a virgin… That's even _better_… I get to be your first…" Before I could say anything, she leaned in and began to kiss me all over my neck!

SOMEONE HELP ME!

"Kirche, you were supposed to meet me an hour ago! Why are you here with another guy?!"

I blinked, my panic momentarily forgotten as I saw another boy hovering at the window. It wasn't that Sticks guy, but apparently somebody Kirche had promised another date to. I couldn't help but feel the surrealism of the moment: Kirche trying to bed me when two guys now have come to her window complaining about how she missed their dates. Was she really that easy? I almost felt sorry for the guy to be honest. He looked like he was honestly distressed about Kirche blowing him off for another guy. The other guy, Sticks, just looked ticked off that he wouldn't be able to get his hands on Kirche's body like he had been hoping.

Unfortunately, he met the same fate like the first guy.

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Geez, I'll see you in four hours!" She then smiled at me seductively and said, "I'm so sorry, my love… These other boys just don't understand I want to be with you right now. It's all because I love you _so_ much!"

Oh man.

"KIRCHE," Three guys shouted. Wait, three guys?! Seriously, how many of these guys does Kirche have wrapped around her finger?! "We've been waiting for you! We were supposed to make love tonight!" They shouted. They then began fighting with each other, each of them saying it was they who were supposed to be with her, not the other two.

Kirche rolled her eyes again and said, "Jeez, relax! I'll be with you tonight in six hours!"

"It'll be morning by then!" One of the guys complained.

"Mmmm…" Kirche pouted. "Flame~, get them!" She said. Her salamander got in front of her and unleashed a Flamethrower on the three guys making them fall to the ground. Wait a minute… THAT'S IT!

Reaching into my pocket, I had in my hand the Fall Ring! Good thing I showed some of my rings to the chef and maids since they wanted to know more about me! Slipping on the ring, I placed it in front of the Hand Author.

**FALL! PLEASE!**

The magic took effect, opening a hole in the floor under me. Naturally, I fell through it and crashed to the ground of the room below me. It kinda hurt, but I felt way safer. I heard Kirche try to call for me before the hole closed again. Sitting up, I rubbed my sore butt as I got my footing back.

"Ah!"

I heard the timid gasp and looked to the side of the room. There was a frilly bed as expected of a girl and sitting up in it was a familiar brunette. Now where did I…? Oh, wait, she was the girl that Guiche had been seeing behind Montmorency's back. Katie I think her name was.

"Sorry. Had to make a quick escape," I winced. Turning around, I headed for the door. "Sorry for disturbing you."

I stepped into the hallway, heaving a sigh. Well, this easily qualified as the most awkward day of my life. Hopefully I didn't traumatize that Katie girl with my sudden drop. Somehow, I didn't think Kirche would give up until she could add my notch to her headboard. Maybe Tabitha could give me some tips on how to avoid her.

My friends back home would laugh at me for running away from such a sexy girl.

But still… I GOT AWAY FROM HER! YEAH!

* * *

_Kirche looked back to where Kurogasa was previously once Flame finished burning her other suitors and was immediately confused. "K–Kurogasa…? Where'd he go?"_

_"YES! YES! YES! I'M FINALLY FREE!" A voice shouted from outside._

_Kirche ran over to her window to see Kurogasa celebrating his escape from her and pouted. "Why is he so happy? He ran away from making love with me! Doesn't he know how lucky he should consider himself!? That does it! I'm getting him! After all, Louise got something and a true Zerbst like me _always_ gets what one wants from a Vallière!"_

_Nodding to Flame, she hopped on his back as he ran down the tower. When they got to the ground, she sent Flame to chase after him. "You can't run from my love, Kurogasa, darling! Don't deny you want me!"_

* * *

I was suddenly hit with a chill in my spine, as if someone bulldozed over my grave and dug me up just to get at me all over again.

What brought that on?

That was when I heard Kirche shout, "You can't run from my love, Kurogasa, darling! Don't deny you want me!" Looking in the direction of her voice, I saw Flame charging towards me.

I then, much to my regret even to this day, let out the most feminine scream I had ever made in my life as I ran from the giant Charmander wannabe. However, as I ran, it was at that moment I wish I had my buddy Koji there. He'd be more than willing to take my place with Kirche. Koji was my best friend with a mind stuck in the 1970's and always smooth with the ladies.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yelled at Kirche as I kept on running.

Kirche shouted to me from across the field, "Don't deny your feelings just because you're shy! I promise I'll be gentle, sweetie!"

"IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" I shouted as I kept on running.

After a few minutes, I ran up the tower all the way up to the fifth floor to Louise's room. "Louise! Open up! Open up!" I yelled frantically banging on her door. Now I'll admit that this will be an emasculating blow to my male persona but a one night stand with a woman having mixed empty raunchy feelings is not what I want in my life! I have standards! Standards I tell ya! STANDARDS!

"LOUISE! OPEN UP! OPEN UP!" I yelled.

"WHAT IS IT?!" I heard the pinkette snap before she whipped open her door. I didn't reply, dashing into the room and diving under her bed. My masculine image would be a thing of the past, but I would be safe. It's a fair trade in my mind. "Uh… what are you doing?"

"What's it _look_ like I'm doing?! I'm hiding!" I panicked poking my head out from under the bed.

"What are you hiding from?"

"Not what! It's who! I'm hiding from Kirche!"

"Why?"

"She tried to rape me!"

Louise blinked at me. No doubt she had never heard about someone running away from Kirche before. I didn't blame her. A girl as pretty and sexually liberated as her, Kirche probably could entice anyone she wanted. Until now, considering what I had seen of noble boys, no one had likely turned her down before.

Well, they didn't have standards like I did.

And then Louise looked at me with wide eyes that seemed to border on a mix of confusion and rage as she just registered what I said. "She tried to what?!"

"I didn't stutter!" I said. "I have standards when it comes to girls and a one night stand with a woman having mixed empty raunchy feelings who tries to seduce and rape you so she could take your virginity doesn't qualify as one of those standards!"

"Oh, Kuro–Kins where are you?" I heard Kirche from the hallway. Great, she's got a pet name for me…

"Oh no… she's almost here!" I paled in horror. "I'm never here!" I said, before putting my head back under the bed.

I admit I may have been cowardly, but this was something to cower about! I heard the door move again and the padding of feet.

"Oh hello there Louise… Where is that Familiar of yours? He and I were having a most interesting meeting."

"What are you doing here Zerbst?!" Louise demanded.

Kirche ignored her, looking around the room as Flame sniffed around. "I know he came in here… It's only a matter of time before I find Kuro–Kins…"

"Well, I'll have you know he's actually not here!" Louise huffed.

Kirche snorted at her as she replied, "I'll determine that for myself, Vallière! Flame's nose is never wrong! He smelled my lover, come in here and I'm not leaving until I drag him out of this room and into my bed!"

Louise shrieked, "How _dare_ you say such a thing!? You keep your hands off of my familiar!"

"Oh, by the time _I'm_ done with him, he probably wouldn't want to keep his hands off of _me_!" Kirche cooed. I shuddered at the thought. WHAT IS _WRONG_ WITH THIS WOMAN?!

Still, Kirche seemed to get the message and figured she could likely get me another time. She left, allowing Louise to close the door. Once she did, I crawled out from under the bed, heaving an unashamed sigh of relief. "You know, you can fight monsters but when a girl tries to seduce you, you run?" Louise smirked at me.

"HEY! She's too forward for my taste and I'm not having my notch added to her headboard!" I snapped.

Louise crossed her arms, looking unconvinced, "Are you sure? Or were you just intimidated because she took the lead which men usually do?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I don't like to have my virginity taken like that, thank you very much!"

Louise frowned at me before she huffed, "And I thought men who thought like that were a myth."

"Well, now you got someone like that here and now." I sighed. "Man, now I'm gonna have to watch my back tomorrow." I said as I sat down Indian style on the floor. "I can't outrun Kirche forever." With a groan, I said, "If my buddy Koji were here, he'd appease Kirche for me."

"Who's Koji?" Louise raised an eyebrow.

"He's my best friend." I answered. "He's something of a ladies' man and obsessed with disco."

Louise looked at me in confusion as she said, "What's disco?"

Crap… how do I answer _that_ one? "Uh… it's a form of dance where I'm from." I answered. "Anyways, I need to find a way to avoid Kirche tomorrow. Do you have any ideas?"

"Ask Tabitha," Louise huffed. "Kirche's too dumb to give up on anything. Tabitha knows her better than anyone."

"Wait, you mean that baby blue haired girl with the glasses, reading a book, and carrying that huge staff?" I raised an eyebrow.

"That's her," Louise nodded. Good, we were thinking of the same girl then. "She's been friends with Kirche for ever. Likely she's the only girl who can stand being around her for any length of time. Germanians… always so vulgar… Tabitha's from Gallia so that may be why."

"Hmmm…" I said, thinking about it.

"And if you want, I was planning to go into town tomorrow, so I suppose you could come with me."

"That's fine by me. Anything's better than having to be around Kirche." I agreed. "You'll get no arguments from me."

"Very well then," Louise said. "Also, since we're going tomorrow on Voidday, we're going to get you a spare sword."

I guess this Voidday Louise is talking about must be something similar to a Saturday or something. Wait a minute, getting a new sword?

"Huh?" I blinked. "But my WizarSwordGun works fine."

"True. But you never know. It could break at any moment and you'll have nothing else to use as a weapon. Those rings of yours can only do so much."

I highly doubted that since the WizarSwordGun was made of magical alloys made to fight Phantoms. Way more advanced than the simple iron forging that this world could do. Louise probably judged my weapon like she did because it was able to shift and change, possibly compromising its integrity. I could have argued, but I didn't because Louise just bailed me out and I didn't want to start an argument.

I shrugged slightly, seeing the truth in her words, though I doubted that would happen. "I guess you have a point there. Alright, sounds like a plan there. But… you promise it'll be a cool looking sword like my WizarSwordGun?"

"Don't push your luck." Louise frowned.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh fine… Sheesh…"

"One more thing: We need to get you new clothes. You stand out too much in _that_ outfit. If I have enough money, I'll let you customize your own clothes."

"Okay," I nodded. Well, Louise was probably springing for outfits since I was proving to be more than just a simple commoner. If I could be impressive, she wanted me to look the part of the impressive Familiar.

"But I expect that you return a favor!" Louise added. "What I do for you is not always for free."

I groaned as I looked to her deadpan and said, "I thought I've already been doing that by not running away from you when you first brought me here."

"That's different! This is for other things!"

"Like what?" I asked.

"The Familiar Exhibition Festival, that's what!" Louise retorted.

"What's that?"

"After the students have summoned their Familiars, it is tradition for them to display their Familiars and their talents," Louise explained. "We shall be participating and I need you to look your best and prepare your most amazing spells if we are to win!"

"Ugh… so I'm doing tricks all of a sudden?" I deadpanned.

"The Princess will be watching too."

"Eh?" I blinked.

"The event is going to be hosting the Princess who has decided she will attend and even be one of the judges!" Louise answered. "That means you will be on your best behavior and no more of your usual hijinks like with Kirche or that maid!"

"With Kirche, no problem and why can't I be with Siesta?! She's a good friend and I like having her for company!"

"She's getting entirely too clingy with you," Louise huffed. "She's probably just hoping to advance herself by being the woman for an unranked noble."

"No she's not!" I said. "And I told you before, I'm no noble! I'm a commoner that can use magic!"

"Why would you even want to admit that?!" demanded Louise. "Any other commoner would have been quick to declare themselves to the queen in order to gain a title in some capacity! Just by winning, you can make a good impression on the princess and she may even vouch for you! You may as well be a noble since you can use magic."

Seeing that Louise has a one tracked mind about this, waving my hand dismissively, I said, "Oh, fine, fine, fine… I'll return the favor, sheesh!"

"Good." Louise smirked with satisfaction. "Now go on and sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Right," I said.

* * *

_The sun had risen and Kirche was sitting at her vanity table, getting herself ready for the day. Of course there was only one thing she had in mind._

_"Hmmm… seducing Kurogasa is gonna be much harder than I thought." she said, brushing her hair. "I've never gone after a guy who played hard–to–get… Heh, heh… It probably means he'll be an even better lover." she said with a smirk at the end._

_"A–Are you sure it's safe to ride on that thing?" A voice asked from outside._

_"Huh?" Kirche said, as she stopped brushing her hair._

_"It's fine Louise. My Machine Winger is perfectly safe."_

_Kirche stopped her daily ritual and looked out her window, seeing her now love and the zero sitting at some kind of two–wheeled machine that was set on the path near the front gates of the school. It was a strange contraption and Kurogasa was sitting on it and trying to convince Louise to mount it with him. "What is that!? And more importantly, why is he riding it with Vallière instead of me!?"_

_"I–I'm not sure about this!" Louise stuttered._

_"Relax Louise. This thing is basically a metal horse with wheels, only it doesn't neigh and… well, you get the idea. That aside; as long as you hold onto me, you'll be fine."_

_"W–well, okay…"_

_VROOM!_

_"AHH LET ME OFF! LET ME OFF!"_

_"Louise, I just turned it on."_

_"Huh?" Louise blinked as she saw that they were still stationary. "Oh…" She blushed in embarrassment._

_"I told you to relax." Kurogasa said. "Don't worry. I'll try to keep the ride as smooth as possible."_

_VROOM!_

_Louise screamed, "AHHHHHHHHHH!" as the pair took off, with her screaming the whole way. Kirche watched them go, surprised the odd machine worked before she began to fume in jealousy. "Why that little–, she's trying to steal time with my new darling! I'm gonna need Tabitha for this one." Getting up, she signaled Flame to follow her as she went to find Tabitha. After a bit of walking, she knocked on the door and said, in a somewhat sing–song tone, "Oh, Tabitha~!"_

* * *

_In the said person's room, the light–blue haired girl, now known as Tabitha was reading her book before she took her staff and waved it gently. Kirche burst into the room and was talking to her, but nothing came out of her mouth as silence was the only thing looming. After a while, Tabitha waved her staff again._

_"–'m telling you Tabitha, we have to go now!" Kirche exclaimed._

_"Voidday…" Tabitha said softly._

_Kirche sighed as she sat down the other end of the bed and pouted, looking to Tabitha as she said, "Yes, I know, we're supposed to be spending this day to bond with our familiars, but I need help!"_

_Tabitha looked at Kirche from over the top of her book and asked, "Why?"_

_"Why else?" Kirche asked incredulously. "I'm going after Vallière and her familiar!"_

_Tabitha stared at Kirche before going to her book and said, "…Bad explanation."_

_"Hmph," Kirche huffed. "Don't you understand Tabitha? I'm in love! Love! I wanted to spend today with him but Louise spirited him off on the back of some strange machine!"_

_"…And the other five guys?" Tabitha asked._

_"That was only a mere alliance! A way to pass the time and exercise my passions! It's the real thing this time!" Kirche insisted._

_"You said that to the other five guys too…"_

_"I mean it this time!" Kirche whined. "Oh please Tabitha! Please help me! I'm your best friend aren't I? I'd do the same for you!"_

_Tabitha was silent for a while before closing her book and finally sighing, "Fine."_

_"Oh, thank you Tabitha!" Kirche said in glee hugging her. After that, Tabitha opened her window and whistled for her familiar._

_"Kyuuui!"_

_Soaring down from above and clinging to the side of the tower came Tabitha's Familiar Sylphid, a blue dragon who was likely a young one. Dragons were usually much larger, even if the blue dragon was in fact large enough to fit several people on her back. Kirche and Tabitha climbed out the window onto the dragon's back before taking off once again._

_"Two people on white machine… Tall boy… Girl with pink hair… No eating." Tabitha whispered to her Familiar. The dragon nodded before it pushed off the tower and took to the air._

* * *

After a while of driving on the open dirt road, we finally reached the closest town and I parked the Machine Winger where the people won't see it. I don't wanna have people look at me weird. I already had enough trouble with that, back at the Academy.

Louise and I both got off. Though, Louise more or less wobbled off and looked like she was about to puke.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Do I *urp!* look it?" Louise mumbled back.

"Sorry about that. I guess I should've gone slower." I said with a sheepish grin.

"Oops he says," Louise scowled. "Whatever. Let's just… get going."

"Hai, hai…" I waved off, before the two of us went into town.

"What did you say?"

"I meant yes, yes," I sighed. Following her lead, I asked, "So where is this sword shop?"

"Hmmmmm… it should be around here somewhere." Louise frowned, looking all over the town for the said shop. It was hard to find it because with towns like these, it was bustling with energy, not to mention crowded too.

"I think I can help with that." I said before taking out two PlaMonster Rings. I slipped one of them in my right middle finger and placed it in front of the Hand Author.

**GARUDA! PLEASE!**

**KRAKEN! PLEASE!**

The red garuda and the yellow kraken appeared in the air after assembling themselves. I then slipped their rings into their body slots, fully bringing them to life. "Think you guys can help us find the sword shop?" The two of them chirped at that. "Okay, I'm counting on ya." I said. With that, the two flew off.

Louise and I continued walking down the streets and I couldn't help but look around. It was like stepping back in time to around the Victorian era or maybe the age of Camelot or something. All of the buildings were made of simple stone and wood. Signs hung from every store, showing some kind of picture, likely what the shop did or sold.

"Louise, how come none of the signs have words on them? It would be easier to figure out what these stores are." I commented.

"That's because some of the commoners can't read." Louise answered.

"You're kidding me… right?" I asked incredulously.

"What's so unbelievable about it?" asked Louise, looking like being illiterate was perfectly normal.

"Louise, being able to read and write is the basics of the basics in society. How come they're not taught on how to read and write?"

"Well, basically because many commoners just cannot dedicate themselves to it." Louise explained. "They usually don't have the resources to enter schools and learn the skill. Even if they did, many don't, simply because they don't have the time to dedicate to it due to the trades they must learn from masters or their families. The only ones that do usually deal with the written word are scribes, copiers, or librarians."

"It's the medieval period here." I grumbled.

"It's the way it is." Louise shrugged. "You make it sound like everyone can read in your homeland."

"They can." I frowned. "Everyone can read back home. Everyone can go to school. Everyone can study to learn a set of skills which their families don't teach them. There are scholars, technicians, artists, and everything in between. You want it, you can go learn it."

"What a strange home you come from then…" Louise said.

Before I could say anything else, Garuda and Kraken came, flying back to me. "Guess they found it," I sighed. "Lead the way boys."

"They found the sword shop?" Louise asked.

"I _think_ they did. That's why we're following them." I said, before following them with Louise following me.

We turned around a few corners while walking on the streets, ending up on a side street. A building ahead of us sported a sign with a sword on it. No words were on the sign so all we could do was assume that it was the place we were looking for. Then again… with what Louise told me, I'm not surprised.

"This must be the place." I said, before turning to Garuda and Kraken. "Thanks for the help guys." I said. The two chirped before disappearing and I caught their rings.

"So… shall we go in?" Louise asked.

"I might as well." I shrugged, before she opened the door to the shop and we went in.

We stepped inside, finding a somewhat enclosed space with only a few small windows and some lamps to light the place up. Rows and rows of swords were placed on shelves while others were stacked up in barrels like the bargain bin. At the far end was a desk with a greasy, mousy–looking guy who must have been the owner of the place.

"Ah, welcome to my humble sword shop!" The owner said, rubbing his hands together. "What can I do for you?"

"I require a sword for my Familiar." Louise explained, gesturing to me while I stood. I decided to let her take the lead in negotiations.

"He's your familiar?" The owner asked confused. "But he's human."

"That's a long story." I sweat dropped.

The man shrugged, obviously disinterested before he put on his salesman smile, "Well, if the young lady is looking for a sword then I have what you need."

"Good. Give me the best sword you have to offer." Louise said.

The man grinned and turned to the back before he came back out with the flashiest sword I had ever seen. It looked like it was made more from gold than steel with a whole jewelry set worth of gems encrusted in the hilt. I may have been a novice with a sword, but even I could tell it was useless.

Louise however, did not.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" She said in awe.

"Made by the famous Germanian alchemist." the salesman grinned, seeing the sale and gold dancing in his eyes.

"How much is it?"

"3,000 gold coins."

A~nd there's the rip–off price. Nice try, but you're not getting her money.

Louise cried out, "WHAT?! That's enough for a new manor with servants included!"

"A good sword is worth just as much!" the man defended his choice.

"Look, as nice as it is I was hoping for something a little more subtle." I tried to offer. "When I need to host a dinner party, then I know where to go for a nice piece to impress some snobs with."

"WHAT?" Louise and the store owner asked shocked.

"Do you have anything more… low key?" I asked.

"Oh ho, so you know what you want in a sword huh?" A new voice said. Huh? Who said that? I looked up when I heard the voice. I heard it from the corner and saw nobody. The only thing that was there was a barrel filled with bargain swords, likely the low quality stuff considering how plain or rusty the weapons looked like. I could've sworn that I heard someone talking over there though… "Over here!" the voice called, and several of the swords in the barrel rattled.

"Oh not again…" the salesman groaned.

"Down here kid!" The voice said again. I looked down and saw one of the swords pop up and say, "Hi!"

"Whoa!" I said startled, landing on a butt, before blinking, "A… talking sword?"

"Yeah, and he never shuts up! He's been nothing but a bane to my business since I bought him from the scrap dealer!" the salesman snapped. "You'd think a talking sword would be a gem but noooo! He has to mouth off at everyone who comes in! It's ruining my reputation!

"Says the guy who keeps ripping off people," The sword huffed.

"You shut up Derf!"

"Derf?" I asked, looking down at the sword. He was incredibly rusty but he was in the shape of a sword. A piece of his hand guard moved as he spoke, giving the illusion of a mouth.

"That's me! The legendary Derflinger!" the sword introduced himself. "I saw that you knew that big showoff the salesman wanted to shove off onto you was junk. How about you pass some gold over to him and take me home?"

"Huh…" I said lifting up Derflinger from the barrel and gave him a few test swings. "Hmmm… your weight's pretty good. And you may be rusty, but I think you'd look great after a good polishing."

"Oh man! It's been so long since I was polished!" Derflinger almost shuddered in glee. "Well what are you waiting for? Buy me so we can get out of here!"

"I refuse to waste my money on that… that… rusty piece of scrap!" Louise snapped.

"Hey! Who are you calling rusty girly?!" Derf snapped. "I'm a _great_ sword to be used!"

"Oh really…" Louise huffed, obviously not believing the animated sword. "You're great at what exactly? Your edge looks like it's gone and you're covered in rust too! I doubt you could cut butter!"

But before anyone else could say anything…

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Huh? What was that?" I asked startled.

"It sounds like trouble!" Derf noticed.

"Gee, what was your first clue?" Louise deadpanned.

We dashed outside, forgetting that Derflinger was still in my hand as I was running. Luckily the salesman was too busy hiding under his desk to try and stop us. Louise and I stopped in the main street where people were running for their lives and soldiers were running to the source. Up ahead, one of the many buildings had a hole blown in it with smoke spewing out.

"Oh no, that's the clothes store I was going to take you to!" Louise cried out.

"Who would want to blow up a clothes store?" I asked, confused.

_**"Hehehehe… be still now…"**_ A voice said from the sight. _**"I want you to fall into despair!"**_

"Oh great…" I groaned. "We got another Phantom?!"

I dashed ahead, pushing past a few soldiers as they tried to rally and attack the monster in the source of it all. Some tried to stop me, but I pushed them off as I cleared their circle and ran at the clothing store, looking for the Phantom.

The Phantom stepped out of the smoke, crushing stones as it went. Its head appeared to be equine with a thick white mane which partially concealed its facial features. A sharp gold horn rose from the forehead, sparking with electric power. Gold hung around its neck and shoulders, sparking with more electric power. It legs looked equine with thick fur under the knees and obsidian black hooves. Embedded on its waist was the usual gem of the Phantoms, this one being green and symbolizing an air affinity or perhaps lightning in this case. Behind him, was a thick white tail swished, further making him horse like.

This was the Sleipnir Phantom.

How I knew that I wasn't sure, but just looking at the Phantom just seemed to bring up the name just like the Anansi Phantom before it. I wasn't positive how I knew this, but I could worry about it later when I wasn't about to put my life at risk.

"Whoa! What the heck is that?!" Derflinger cried out.

"I'll explain later." I answered before bringing my Driver on Ring to my Hand Author.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver formed around my waist surprising Derflinger. "What the–"

"Louise, hold him for me." I said, giving the talking sword to her, which she took before I flipped the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

I slipped on my Flame Style ring before shouting, "Henshin!" and placed it in front of the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

The Phantom immediately lost interest in wherever his intended victim was as I transformed into my armored form, _**"Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai?! How can this be? You were left behind in Tokyo!"**_

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm right here, right now!" I declared.

"WHOA! You didn't tell me that the kid was a magic user!" Derflinger cried out in complete shock and surprise.

It was a surprise for me too," Louise mumbled, her pride forgotten as she feared her Familiar was putting his life at risk once again.

"Prepare to fall before the Jewel of Hope! It's showtime!" I shouted before charging at the Sleipnir Phantom.

My opponent snorted, not sounding unlike a horse, before bolts of lightning fired from his horn and sizzled the air as they surged towards me.

"Whoa!" I shouted, dodging to the side. "Geez, you don't play nice do ya?" I said before switching the Hand Author and switching rings too.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

My magic seal appeared before I pushed my hand inside and brought out my WizarSwordGun back out. I shifted it into its gun form and took aim. I was pretty sure I could hear Derflinger shouting something in the background. It was drowned out by the sounds of my shots flying at the Sleipnir Phantom.

More voltage sparked around the Phantom's feet and it suddenly moved, my bullets missing completely. I couldn't even get them to curve around since I had no clue where the Phantom had gone. I quickly got the answer when the smell of ozone hit my nostrils before something blasted me in the stomach with enough force to take me off my feet.

I shouted in pain, "GAH!" before landing on my back.

"Kurogasa!" Louise cried out.

"Ow…" I groaned, as smoke rose out of my armor. Okay, it could run on lightning or something. Not good. Fortunately, the elements were on my side as well. Slipping off the Flame Style, I pulled the Land Style Ring from the chain at my side and slipped it onto my finger. "Alright, let's see if you can get through this!" I said, before flipping the Hand Author and placed my ring in front of it.

**LAND! PLEASE! DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

My armor quickly transformed as the smell of ozone spiked again and another blast struck ne, this time from behind. This time, the electric power of the attack didn't affect me thanks to my earth magic keeping me grounded and bleeding off the voltage. It still hurt from the force of the kick I felt, stumbling but not flying off my feet.

_**"What?"**_ The Sleipnir Phantom gasped.

"Gotcha!" I grinned behind my mask before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author.

**BIG! PLEASE!**

The magic seal appeared and I punched through it, a massive fist coming through the other side. I felt the fist, strike the Phantom, sending it flying away with a cry of pain. It landed in a heap on the ground as I pulled my arm back.

"Whoa! Look at the kid go!" Derflinger said impressed. "He's pulling out tricks I've never seen before!"

"My Familiar is more magical than me…" Louise grumbled, seeing the outrageous spells I was using. "It's not fair."

"It's time I blow you away!" I said.

**HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

The green seal formed above with a green wind surrounding me, before I jumped up through the seal and assumed Hurricane Form. Using the wind currents, I slew towards the Sleipnir Phantom who was still flying away and slashed him repeatedly with my WizarSwordGun.

The Phantom growled at me before his body sparked with more electricity and he was gone like a shot. I quickly began moving, using the wind around me to try and move as fast as I could. Sure lightning was faster, but I was counting on his reflexes not being as sharp. What physical being could keep up with lightning?

I quickly learned that this Phantom could.

*WHAMMO!*

I crashed down to the ground in a heap. In hindsight, it dawned on me that wind was slower than lightning and all he had to do was go in straight lines since he was that much faster than me. He just had to aim where he knew I was going to be. Heh… and they say science was a worthwhile subject.

"It looks like I'm gonna have to be flexible… literally." I said as I switched rings and flipped the Hand Author.

**EXTEND! PLEASE!**

With that, my body suddenly felt rubbery like I was Luffy from One Piece. Seeing the lightning shot, I moved by body around, dodging him with my now rubbery and flexible body. Even if he _did_ hit me, I'd be resistant to lightning because rubber insulates electricity. I hope…

_**"Hold still mahōtsukai–yaro!"**_ Sleipnir Phantom said irritated.

He fired another blast of lightning at me which I literally curved around to avoid. Twisting, I spun my torso up like a rubber band before I leaped up at the electrified Phantom. As I went, I shifted my weapon into its sword position. I then let the tension in my torso release and I spun like a top, swinging my WizarSwordGun at a rapid pace.

"GUM–GUM RAPID SLASH!" I joked as I slashed him in multiple places.

Sparks flew from the impacts and the Phantom flew back even further, skidding on the cobblestone roads and crashed into one of the buildings. Smoke flew up from the impact as I landed on the ground, reading to finish the Phantom off once he showed his ugly face.

_**"Grrrr… this wasn't supposed to happen!"**_ Sleipnir Phantom growled.

"You shouldn't have attacked that Gate in the first place!" I retorted before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

A green magic seal appeared below me before the wind picked up, wrapping around me to create my finishing attack. I dashed forward, doing a front flip before kicking off into the air with a corkscrew kick aimed right at the Phantom.

*BAM!*

I hit my target and soon after skidded to a halt kneeling on one knee as the Sleipnir Phantom staggered, while standing. I got back up with my back towards the Sleipnir Phantom before saying, "Take your final bow."

My magic circle appeared over the Phantom as green magic raced over its body. It screamed loudly before it collapsed to the ground and exploded. Satisfied, I stood up and dusted off my hands. Well, that solved the problem for me. "Phwee…" I sighed in relief as I went back to civilian form.

"WOW! That was amazing!" Derflinger cheered in excitement.

I looked around more and saw the owner of the store. It was an old lady in her 50's wearing simple commoner clothes. Louise gasped at who it was, gasping out, "Ms. Quinn?!"

"Eh?" I blinked, looking at Louise. "You know her?"

"Of course I do! She repairs my uniforms whenever I… have one of my accidents!" Louise said.

"Accidents," I asked again. "Oh, you mean _those_." I realized. I knew what she was talking about. During her classes, I'd see explosions going off somewhere in the Academy and the students would always complain about Louise making those explosions.

"Oooh," the tailor groaned as she emerged from the ruins of her store. Looking at it, she looked ready to cry. "Oh dear… Now what will I do? All of my orders were destroyed by that beast!"

Man, the Merry Christmas ring would work, but I don't have that and it's not even Christmas! How am I gonna restore all of it?

"Ms. Quinn!" Louise cried out, running over to her.

"Huh?" The said person blinked before seeing Louise running up to her. "Oh, Louise…"

"Are you okay?" Louise asked worriedly.

"Oh, well I'm a little mussed up but I'm fine." the lady smiled. I was a little surprised to see Louise talk so casually to a commoner… or was she really one? If she was a Gate, she must have had noble blood in her.

"Well, I'm glad you're alright ma'am." I said walking over to the two. "I'm just sorry that your store had to get all ruined."

"It is a shame." Ms. Quinn sighed sadly. "Oh dear, I may have to take a loan from the moneylenders and Turune has them in his pocket. I'll be in debt forever."

"Who's Turune?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Chillian Turune," Ms. Quinn sighed. "He's the royal tax collector. He's supposed to make sure that everyone pays their taxes in time, but he treats the city like his own piggybank. He changes the rates all the time to favor his friends and discredit people who stand up to him. If I take a loan to repair my shop, he'll keep the debt going for the rest of my life so he can skim gold off the top."

Great… Phantoms and corrupted nobles… oh joy… I wouldn't be surprised if these corrupted nobles are Phantoms in disguise too.

"But in any case, I have to thank you somehow for saving my life, young man. If it weren't for your magic, I would've been dead for sure."

"It's what I do." I shrugged. I looked around, "Where'd all the guards go?"

"I'm sure that they'll report all of this to the Princess." Ms. Quinn said. "Now as for how I can thank you, why don't you come with me to my house? I'll fix you a nice lunch and let you customize your clothes free of charge seeing as my store is nothing more than shambles."

"Um, it's really not that necessary." I said politely.

"Oh nonsense," Ms. Quinn waved off. "In my family, we don't leave debts unpaid and this one I can definitely pay." she insisted.

Well, if she insisted I suppose it was okay…

"Well… if you insist, I'll go. Thank you, ma'am,"

"Call me Quinn. That's what everyone calls me."

* * *

So with that, we went over to her house and I used my Connect Ring to get my Machine Winger here too. After that, she fixed up for Louise and I, a bowl of beef stew and I have to admit it's really good. While we ate, I didn't mind telling Ms. Quinn about my magic and how they came to be. And in turn, she told me about herself and I was actually surprised to hear that she used to be a noble, but went to commoner status due to not being able to live such a highly sophisticated life.

I guess she ran away from the snobbish lifestyle and found her calling in making clothes.

And speaking of coats, after lunch, Ms. Quinn asked me about my clothes and I told her the specifics. Basically, I would like to have four trench coats of red, blue, green, and yellow to represent the four elements. There would be a small magic seal on the front on the left side of my chest and a large seal on the back of my coat. I have a photographic memory, so I knew every small detail of it and drew it on a piece of paper. It took a while, but I managed to get it done.

"Well, at least you have proper pride in your magic." Louise admitted as she observed the seal I wanted and what kind of clothes I wished for.

"Hey, when it comes to things like this, I don't screw around." I said.

"That seal looks really funky, but cool." Derflinger commented. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about him.

"So what do we do with you Derflinger?" I asked. "We'll need to get some supplies to get all that rust and crap off of you."

"Oh no need, just get me in that other sword you have!"

"Eh?" I asked confused.

"What?" Louise blinked. "After all we paid for you?"

"Uh, you didn't pay for me girlie." Derflinger snickered. "Partner here took me in all the chaos. I don't think the salesman even noticed!"

"He's got a point." I said.

"And besides, I wanted to get out of that shop anyways! It feels good to be out in the open again and not in some barrel of other rusted swords." Derflinger added.

"But hold on. What do you mean you want to get in my WizarSwordGun?" I questioned.

"Oh, you mean you can't tell?" asked Derflinger. "With all the tricks I saw you pull I thought you'd know. I'm more than just a sword! I'm a sword spirit! It doesn't matter how nicked or cracked I get. Once my body breaks, I can just go into a new sword. Easy as pie! Might take me a while to get all the way in there though…"

"Oh…" I blinked. "Well in that case…" I said, before placing a ring in front of the Hand Author.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

The seal appeared in the air and I stuck my hand in before pulling out my WizarSwordGun in sword mode. "You can come on in!"

"Great! Go ahead and break this old rusty body of mine!"

"Uh… are you sure? I don't wanna hurt ya." I said uncertain.

"I'm sure! Just break this thing!" Derflinger insisted.

I looked to Louise with worry. "Don't look at _me_! What are you waiting for? Do it!"

I sighed and pulled back the WizarSwordGun before bringing it down on Derflinger's rusty blade. Sure enough, the old steel shattered against the more advanced metal which made up my weapon. For a second, I was sure that I saw… something, pass through the air but then it was gone.

"WOHOO, I like this new body!" I heard Derflinger cheer as I saw the Hand Author of the WizarSwordGun… open and close like a mouth? That gives the saying, 'talk to the hand because the face ain't listening.' a whole new meaning.

"You okay Derflinger?" I asked, lifting up my sword. "Nothing feels weird or wrong?"

"Are you kidding? I feel _great_!" Derflinger cheered. "And I can feel all the energy in this sword too!"

"I'm glad to hear that… aibou." I smiled.

"At least someone came away happy." Louise sighed.

"Well then, shall we take your measurements?" Ms. Quinn asked.

"Yes, please." I nodded.

You know, for some odd reason, I feel like something else was supposed to happen. Oh well… whatever it is, it's not important.

* * *

_"Uggggggh… where are they~?" Kirche whined._

_"…A waste of time…" Tabitha said._

_Kirche pouted, looking over the city to try and see where her new darling had gone. She did in fact notice something going on ahead, "Hm. Did something catch fire?"_

_"We're leaving…" Tabitha said quietly._

_"Nooooo," Kirche complained. "Please Tabitha! Stay and help me! Please?"_

_But Tabitha wouldn't have any of it as she whistled for Sylphid. The dragon came down to the ground and Tabitha used her staff to somehow lift Kirche up by the back of her shirt and climbed aboard Sylphid. "What are you doing Tabitha? Let me go! I want to find Kuro–Kins!"_

_"No…" Tabitha said before whispering to Sylphid, "Tristain Academy…"_

_"Awwwww…!"_

_With that, Sylphid took off to the air back to school._

* * *

And there you have it people! That's another chapter down! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! Until next time!


	4. The Princess of Tristain

Hello everyone! It's Fenikkusumaru here giving you another chapter of Wizard of Zero! I've decided to skip episode 4 of the first season, why? Two reasons. One: Kurogasa already saved Siesta from her Inner Phantom, so why should I need her to be saved a second time? And two: Well, I'll admit episode 4 is kinda really useless if you ask me. So with that being said, let's get on with this chapter!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

_It was another beautiful day in the country of Tristain. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the people of Tristain carried on their day with smiles and happiness. However, there was a bit of commotion over at Castle Tristain._

_A soldier was running through the hallways of the castle, heading towards the Throne Room. When he arrived, he pushed the doors open, surprising two people who were sitting on their thrones. One was a mature in her 40's. She was the Queen of Tristain having purple hair tied in a bun, wearing a queenly crown and a gown fit for a queen. _

_Next to her was a woman much younger than her as she was seventeen years of age. She was slim and curvy in all the right ways unlike a certain character who flaunts it out all the time. She wore a white dress which looked perfect in every way and was accented by the purple cloak that hung from her shoulders. Her hair was purple and seemed naturally full too as it fell to her shoulders, having a similar shade to her cloak. Her face was gentle and soft, revealing that she was a kind and caring person._

_"Your Majesty!" the soldier panted, only absently remembering decorum by bowing in the face of royalty._

_"Yes?" The Queen asked. "What seems to be the matter?"_

_"I bring urgent news! It's one that you _need_ to hear!"_

_"What news is this?" the queen asked, growing serious._

_"A horse like monster attacked one of the commoner's shops, but a strange mage defeated the horse like monster."_

_"A strange mage you say? In what way is he strange?"_

_"Well… how should I say this?" The soldier said, thinking on his next words. "He used some sort of strange belt with a hand on it and he used rings on that belt to use his magic."_

_"Aside from how he cast his spells, what makes him so strange?" asked the Queen._

_"He used a ruby ring on that belt and this magic seal appeared going through him to don him in this strange armor made out of jewelry. And if I heard right, it said something like, "FLAME! PLEASE!" I'm assuming it's some sort of Fire ring. There is also a sapphire, emerald, and topaz as well which I assume are the other elements Water, Wind, and Earth."_

_"He can use all four elements?" The queen blinked, now understanding why the unknown man was considered so strange. "Now surely that is not possible."_

_"I find that baffling as well. There are very few Square Mages in all of Halkeginia that can use all four elements, Your Highness."_

_"So he stopped the creature which appeared in the city?" asked the Princess suddenly. "How was the creature able to get past the city walls without any of the soldiers on patrol noticing it until it attacked?"_

_"That I'm not sure. We are still investigating that, Princess."_

_"What exactly was the creature aiming to accomplish?" asked the Queen. "Was it merely wild or was it intelligent?"_

_"It was intelligent and it said something about wanting to bring one of the commoners into despair."_

_Now the Queen and Princess both were getting concerned, "Do we know where this unknown noble went? Was he with anyone we could follow? Is he staying in Tristain or was he passing through?"_

_"He was with a pink haired girl. She wears the student uniform of Tristain Academy."_

_"Louise Françoise?" the Princess gasped._

_"I believe so." The soldier answered._

_"I see." The Princess said, as she pondered on this._

_"Well, you _were_ going to the Familiar Exhibition Festival at the Academy are you not?" The queen asked of her daughter who nodded. "Then this may be your chance to ask about this strange noble yourself rather than sending agents."_

_"Yes, this is a good chance." The Princess said, before standing up saying to the soldier, "Ready my coach then. I'm heading to Tristain Academy."_

_"At once Princess," The soldier saluted._

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical_ _Wizard_ _Rings:_ _It contains_ _the power of the four_ _elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of_ _Despair, a familiar with_ _modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the_ _Jewel of Hope: Kamen_ _Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Princess of Tristain

It's been a couple of days since the Sleipnir Phantom incident and during those two days, I've been practicing for the Familiar Exhibition Festival. I mean sure, it's important for Louise, since the Princess is coming to the Academy and all, but she was being a drill sergeant about it, ever since we got back from town, making me practice for hours on end and it's driving me nuts!

She had me try out all sorts of stupid tricks that I would consider only useful in entertaining kids. My powers were meant to fight Phantoms and protect people, not make fireworks! Besides, that Phantom alone should've brought concern to everyone. There had been two of them now and no one seemed to care. Unless it directly affected a noble or their standing, no one who could do anything about it cared to even try!

"Man, all of this better be worth it by the time we're done…" I grumbled as I fell on my back on the grass to relax with Derf lying next to me.

"Hey don't worry partner. You just gotta endure a bit more and this whole circus act will be out of your hair in no time." Derflinger assured, as he talked to me via Hand Author on the WizarSwordGun.

"That's easier said than done Derf…" I deadpanned.

Louise was going nonstop, wanting to make sure everyone knew she had a worthwhile Familiar. I think that was taken care of when the faculty saw me take down that Anansi Phantom. Still, Louise had a real chip on her shoulder and seemed convinced people still saw her as a Zero. If she made me try to pull flowers out of a hat again, I was going to do something violent and explosive.

Violent and explosive… _there's_ a thought for a possible trick.

"Oh, Kurogasa," A voice said. I looked up to see Siesta staring down at me. I think my day just got a little bit better.

"Hi Siesta," I greeted with a smile before I got back up to my feet to face her picking up Derf too.

"What were you doing on the ground?"

"Resting; Louise was being a drill sergeant about me doing tricks for the Exhibition." I sighed.

"Oh, that's right." Siesta smiled. "That's coming up isn't it? All of us maids had been so busy getting the castle ready for the Princess we hadn't had much time to think about it. What kind of tricks are you going to be doing?"

"If Louise had her way, kid stuff…" I sighed. "My magic is made to fight Phantoms, not make party tricks."

"I see." Siesta nodded, before thinking about something. "What if you did both?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked confused, raising an eyebrow.

"What if you used your fighting skills as your trick? You just need a few golems right? All you have to do is make it look flashy as you fight."

There was an idea. I did have my Copy Ring so maybe I could make a few clones and have them transform into the other three Styles and we could have an elemental smackdown or something. It would garner some attention I suppose.

"You know… I think it might just work!" I grinned before suddenly hugging Siesta. "Thanks Siesta! You gave me the best idea yet!"

Siesta beamed, "I'm happy to help!"

"Kurogasa," A voice snapped.

I flinched as I turned around to see… Louise?! Oh crap and she came at the worst possible time!

Worse still, she didn't look happy. If I had to guess, she and Kirche got in another fight or something. It was generally the reason why Louise got so ticked off. Kirche was one of the loudest voiced proclaiming Louise as the Zero.

"What in Founder's name are you doing, hugging that maid?!" Louise demanded.

"Uh…" I blinked. "It's really not what it looks like."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say since Louise began clutching her wand tighter than before and it was starting to glow with destructive electric power that the world was just not capable of withstanding. Just looking at it filled me with a sense of hopelessness and fear that no Phantom could compete with.

"N–N–N–Not what it looks like huh?" Louise stuttered as her eye twitched and I think I heard a vessel pop in her head.

What was she getting so upset about? I mean, I made it clear that Siesta was a friend of mine and it wasn't like I was being Guiche and two–timing girls as much as I could. Granted Siesta could be a little clingy, even after explaining what the Engage Ring was about, but she knew we were just friends too.

"I told you not to get any funny ideas with that maid!" Louise shrieked, before pointing her wand at me.

Thinking quick; I got the ring to use and placed it in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**DEFEND! PLEASE!**

A flash came and my magic circle appeared in front of me and Siesta, forming a magic barrier between us and Louise. The explosion that followed was impressive, sending black smoke in all directions. Louise must've been really cheesed off since that kind of explosion looked like it really would've hurt. I was so glad I could cast magic myself for protection.

When the smoke cleared, Louise was sprawled on the ground, her hair was messed up, some parts of her clothes were torn, there were smudges all over her, and she had swirly eyes.

"Didn't know my Defend spell could do that," I blinked. A reflect effect?

"Whoa, that's one big explosion." Derflinger commented.

"And here I thought White Wizard's Explosion spell was lethal…" I muttered to myself.

"I–Is she okay?" Siesta stuttered. Louise groaned and rolled over.

"Yeah, she's fine." I nodded.

* * *

And so for the rest of the day, Louise got herself cleaned up while Siesta had other duties to attend to, and I practiced the idea that Siesta thought of. Sure, it was all last minute and everything, but I got everything down in a flash. And after explaining to and showing Louise my routine of how we're gonna win the Exhibition Festival, Louise was more than happy to know that maybe people won't look down on her as Zero ever again.

The sun began to set and Louise and I were standing in ceremony on the sides of the cobblestone pathway that led to the main entrance of the school with the rest of the students while the teachers stood at the base of the stairs leading into the building. Why? That's because the princess had arrived. The princess herself had arrived in an escorted carriage pulled by unicorns! They were pulled by unicorns of all things! I thought those never existed but I'm seeing it now.

The carriage finally came to a stop and the driver opened up the door. When she finally exited, a blush crept on my face as I was star struck and enamored by her beauty.

She was slim and curvy in all the right ways unlike a certain _someone_ who flaunts it out all the time. She wore a white dress which looked perfect in every way and was accented by the purple cloak that hung from her shoulders. Her hair was purple and seemed naturally full too as it fell to her shoulders, having a similar shade to her cloak and eyes. Her face was gentle and soft, revealing that she was a kind and caring person.

I'm not one to drool over a girl no matter how pretty she was, but the princess just had me gaping like a loon, at her. She was just that beautiful in my eyes.

"I think I'm in love…" I said a bit dreamily.

"Take your perverted eyes off the princess!" Louise hissed at me, breaking the mood.

"Hey, I'm not a pervert. I'm just a normal guy admiring her beauty."

"I could see that look in your eyes!" Louise snapped back. "Keep your perverted urges to yourself! Keep them for Kirche or that maid but the princess is off limits!"

Didn't you hear what I said?! I'm not a pervert! But instead, what came out of my mouth was, "Grr… hai, hai, wakatta…" I grumbled.

"What was that?" Louise growled.

"Yes, yes, I get it…" I translated.

Meanwhile, the staff all knelt down on one knee and bowed as the princess and her escorts came up to them.

"I'm sorry to request such a thing Headmaster Osmond." The princess apologized.

"Do not be. The students and staff have all been preparing and waiting for you, Princess Henrietta." Osmond said, as he looked back up at her.

Henrietta… so _that's_ her name.

The princess gave a downright angelic smile as she accepted the headmaster's welcome, "Thank you for such a warm welcome Headmaster. I'm so pleased to be here."

Oh my, gosh… and her voice sounds so heavenly too.

Louise then elbowed me in the gut, "Stop that!"

"Ite," I cringed. "Fine…" I grumbled. Seriously, why does Louise always have to be such a buzzkill? Just then, something caught my eye. I saw the princess… eyeing on me?

Okay, was she really looking at me? No way, she couldn't be. Why would she be looking over in my direction anyway? I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things and when I opened my eyes back up, she wasn't looking at me anymore.

Huh… weird…

* * *

It was now late at night and Louise and I were going over the plan for tomorrow Exhibition. However... some of that discussion was delayed because Louise kept on ranting about me keeping my eyes on the princess.

"I can't believe you did nothing but drool over her during the entire time she was arriving!" she ranted. "She even looked over at us and saw you gaping! I'll never be able to live it down!"

"Okay, first of all I wasn't drooling, because I never felt drool coming out of my mouth. Second, when she eyed on me, I wasn't gawking, I was still recovering from you elbowing my gut."

"It was written across your face!" Louise snapped. "The perversion was coming off of you in waves!"

"You're really not gonna let this go are ya…" I groaned.

"Not when you were ogling my best friend like a–" Louise ranted, but then flushed and shut her mouth. "L–L–Look, just… D–D–Don't think about doing it again or I'll punish you!"

"Huh?" I blinked confused. What did she say? "Could you repeat that?" I asked. "Did you just say that the Princess was your best friend?"

"U–Um u–uh…" Louise stuttered.

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

Our conversation stopped when he both heard a knock on the door. Who would want to visit us _this_ late?

I walked to the door and opened it, only to almost be pushed aside by someone in a cloak. I stumbled slightly, but quickly got myself back to my feet. Closing the door, I turned to see who it was. The figure was slightly hunched over, looking like they were recovering from a bout of nerves.

"W–Who are you?!" Louise demanded, pointing her wand at the cloak person.

The figure reached to their hood, pulling it back to reveal a kind face and purple hair, "It has been a long time Louise Françoise."

Louise gasped out, her jaw dropping in surprise, "Your Highness!"

WAIT, WHAT?!

That was when she bowed on her knee. "What are you doing here? You shan't bother yourself coming to a place like this on your own."

"Louise Françoise," Henrietta frowned. "Can you not treat me as Henrietta? We are childhood friends after all."

So I _wasn't_ hearing things! "You two know each other?" I asked.

"Y–Yes," Louise nodded. "I was given the honor of being a royal playmate for Her Majesty in our youth!"

"Can you not say we were childhood friends?" asked Henrietta again with a sad smile, before looking at Louise with her eyes watering up. "I… I missed you so very much."

"Princess…" Louise murmured, stepping closer to her.

"I'm sorry…" Henrietta apologized, wiping her tears, "It's just ever since my father passed away I have not had anyone I can talk openly with."

My eyes widened a bit in surprise hearing that. Then I looked down sadly. I know what she's going through. I lost both my parents when I was very young. I'll tell that story another time, but not now, because it's too painful to even think about it.

"Princess…" I murmured looking at her and she looked at me. "I'd like to give my condolences about your father…" I then bowed my head down as it slightly turned away, and my hollow eyes looked away sadly too. "I… I know what it's like to lose family…"

"Thank you," Henrietta smiled. She was probably used to hearing people offer sympathies, but I hoped that she could tell that I really meant it. Losing a parent was never pleasant. I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

I shook my head, to fight off my past before I looked back at Henrietta. "I'm sorry, I…"

"No, it's okay." Henrietta smiled gently. "I know your words have meaning and you sincerely meant it."

"R–Really? You can tell?" I asked.

"Yes, I can tell by the look of your eyes. You've been through what I'm going through."

Louise, for the first time looked seriously surprised when she saw my hollow sad expression on my face.

"So," I smiled weakly. "What do we owe to the honor of your appearance, Your Highness?"

"I simply wish to visit a dear friend." Henrietta smiled.

"A–Ah," Louise began to blush, taken aback by Henrietta's simple answer which may have been compounded by how she was smiling at the pinkette. "I–I–I–I'm unworthy of such a thing!"

"Please, Louise, why not call me by my old childhood nickname?"

"Alright, Anne…" Louise answered, blushing. I have to admit, Louise looked cute like that.

"I also wanted to meet you." Henrietta said, turning to… me…

…wait… what?

"Y–You wanted to meet m–me?" I blinked, pointing at myself.

"Yes. I've heard a report about a strange mage who used a belt with a hand on it and that he used a ring to transform into a jewel armored warrior and defeat a horse like monster trying to harm a commoner in town."

Oh boy. She heard about that? "Oh, uh, I guess I can explain that."

"I believe so. I'd like to hear it from the man himself."

So I took a seat and decided to explain myself and the Phantoms. Henrietta seemed downright shocked that I wasn't a noble and magic had nothing to do with nobility where I came from. In fact, it shocked her more that magic was non–existent there. What really made her concerned was the fact of how Phantoms were born and how I gained my magic. She seemed to be really concerned at the idea of a race of magic creatures that would mimic people they were born from and were eager to hunt down anyone capable of magic themselves.

But I assured her that with me around I can stop these Phantoms and that I could give hope to those who have none. After all, it's my duty as a Kamen Rider.

"I'm glad that someone is capable of battling these creatures." Henrietta nodded. "Despite certain officers trying to claim praise for the defeat of the creature, I know that they did nothing in the face of its attack."

"I'm glad to hear that." I smiled before Henrietta stood up.

"Well then, I've stayed too long. I must return to my guest quarters." She said. Louise and I then showed her out the door. "Oh, I never caught your name, sir."

"Kurogasa," I said. "Kurogasa Kururugi."

"Kurogasa… what an odd name," Henrietta pondered as she tilted her head, with a finger to her lips while looking up.

That look, screams adorable!

No, I can't go fanboy on her! Not when our first meeting is going so well!

"And Louise," Henrietta said, turning to her. "I'm glad to see that you have summoned a fine Familiar to look after you. It puts my mind at ease to know you have someone to be at your side."

"Y–Yes, of course Princess," Louise said before the two hugged each other.

After breaking the embrace, Henrietta said, "I wish you both luck at tomorrow's exhibition then, Louise and Kurogasa."

"Thank you." I said, as I closed my eyes and flashed her, a Jushiro Ukitake smile.

I think it made an impression since she blushed slightly at my smile. What can I say? The Ukitake smile works every time on the girls. With a quick nod, she left and Louise closed the door.

"Well, that went well," I smiled. "She's nice." But Louise looked at me with a stink eye. "What?"

"You were flirting with the princess weren't you?" Louise frowned.

"Now why would I do such a thing?" I smiled innocently.

Louise began to growl, her wand somehow appearing in her hand, "You… you… YOU DOG!"

*WAPISH!*

"Ow!" I cringed before dodging another whip lash. "What was _that_ for?! I didn't flirt with the princess!"

"Yes you did! I can tell! How _dare_ you embarrass me like that?!" she snapped, aiming for another whipping.

"She didn't seem to mind!" I cried back.

*WAPISH!*

"OW! That hurt!"

"It was supposed to! It's punishment!"

"Okay, that's it!" I said as I suddenly grabbed her arm and placed a ring on her finger.

"What are you–" Louise began, but I didn't answer her as I placed her hand that had ring, in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**SLEEP! PLEASE!**

Louise suddenly stopped her rampage and made a noise that sounded like 'fuuuu' before she collapsed into my arms, sleeping soundly. Hefting her up in my arms, I brought her to her bed before I set her down and tucked her in. She mumbled slightly and turned over, sleeping soundly.

"She's cuter when she's asleep." I sighed. "Still… this girl is troublesome. Mattaku…"

* * *

The day of the Festival had arrived and all of the second year students were preparing for their exhibition. All of the students wanted to win and gain praise from the Princess. Some of them looked like they were ready to have a nervous breakdown while others had lost hope, being saddled with 'average' familiars like dogs and cats.

And Louise well…

"Oh my, gosh, this is so nerve–wracking! What do I do? What do I do?!"

…she's panicking over nothing.

Still, we were on the end of the line so we had plenty of time to scope out the competition. Montmorency made a duet with her frog Robin, the animal croaking along with the violin its master was playing. Guiche actually modeled with Verdandy, a huge brown mole, on a bed of roses, driving the girls to squeals. Kirche had Flame do tricks by blowing complicated patterns of fire. Tabitha may have been the toughest to beat since she did aerial tricks on the back of her dragon.

And finally, it was our turn.

"Last up is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière." Colbert announced.

Louise looked ready to collapse in a fit of nerves, but she stood tall and walked onto the stage with me following behind her.

"Relax. As long as I do the trick right and not screw up, you'll be fine…" I whispered.

"Ok…" Louise trembled as we stepped onto the stage.

I could already see several of them snickering, wanting to laugh at Louise. Well, I'm about to shut them up for good with what I got in store.

Louise stopped at the middle of the stage to face the audience. "M–My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière." Louise announced before gesturing to me. "T–This is my familiar Kurogasa Kururugi."

Geez, talk about a case of major stage fright.

"Look, it's the commoner Familiar of Louise the Zero!" I heard someone yell from the audience, bringing rounds of chuckles from the other students. I just frowned at the heckler. Obviously he hadn't heard of the things I had been doing since I arrived or he refused to believe it since he never saw it happen.

Heck, I even saw Henrietta from the VIP box frown at the heckler too. This _was_ her best friend they were insulting. Of course, if people knew Louise was Henrietta's best friend they might have changed their tune about her. Still, I wasn't got to let some brat who probably hid at the first sign of trouble try to mouth off at Louise like that.

"I–I will now have Kurogasa demonstrate for you all of what he can do!" Louise said before quickly going down the stage, leaving me all alone on it.

"Okay," I sighed. Raising my hand with the Driver on Ring, I passed it over the Hand Author.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver materialized on my belt making Henrietta look at me curiously. After that, I flipped the Hand Author to my left to make it sing.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

I took my Flame Style ring and placed it on my left middle finger, flipping the visor down before declaring, "Henshin!" and passed the Flame Style Ring over the Driver.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

The magic seal appeared in the air and went through me before finally donning me in my armor. Henrietta had a mix of surprise and impression on her face. Yes, so far, so good.

"For my next trick," I announced, slipping on another Ring. I flipped the Hand Author and passed the ring over it.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A magic seal appeared before it went up and made a clone. My clone and I repeated the process again.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

Now there were four Wizards on the stage, each one doing something different like rotating a shoulder or flexing a wrist. Everyone was gaping, shocked to see three perfect copies alongside the original.

"Next!" the three clones spoke, each donning a different Style Ring.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

**HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

**LAND! PLEASE! DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

My clones changed to their other styles, the gemstones catching in the light. Once the change was complete, we separated to face off against one another.

"Oh my… so it _is_ true." Henrietta blinked in surprise. "He can use all four elements."

The four of us, me and the clones, then all moved in synchronized form and donned our Connect Ring. Setting the Hand Author, we passed the Ring over it and four voices spoke out.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

Four magic circles, each one a different color thanks to being in our different forms opened up. Reaching in, we each took our iconic weapons and pulled it back out. Derflinger seemed to be in fine form and adjusting to the change in his physical body, but what happened next I didn't expect.

"Whoa! Do I look like that? Cool!" spoke the sword I held.

"Hey, looking shiny Derflinger!" admired the one Water Style held.

"Can't have too much of a good thing! Good thinking partner!" laughed Land Style's Derflinger.

"We're ready for action Partner! Use us! Use us!" eagerly proclaimed Hurricane Style's sword.

"Are you ready to do this aibou?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me? I was _born_ ready!" Derflinger said.

"Then let's go!" I said. With that, the Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Wizards charged at me.

Our four swords clashed against one another in sparks of red, yellow, green, and blue. Our elements clashed against one another too. It was Fire against Water, Earth against Wind, before we all leaped back to get a bead on each other. Hurricane Style was the first to move, kicking up a fierce breeze around him, before he took to the air above the rest of us.

I looked up to see that Hurricane Style was going for me as I came down with hid Derflinger ready to slash me until I blocked the attack with mine.

Land and Water both saw the opportunity and charged at me. Knowing that I was going to be overwhelmed if I didn't move, I pushed Hurricane away and leaped to the side to avoid being struck. The green version of me was going to be a pest and a constant distraction if I didn't do something about him quickly. Seeing the three gunning for me again, I decided to distract them by slipping on another ring and using it.

**DEFEND! PLEASE!**

I pointed at the three and a wall of flames kicked up, stopping the trio in their tracks. Distracted, and the audience stunned, I slipped on another ring.

**BIG! PLEASE!**

A magic seal and I stuck my arm out through the circle so that my hand enlarged to the size of a tree log, surprising the audience before I smacked Hurricane Style away.

"I got an opening!" Water Style said, before switching rings and flipped his Hand Author.

**EXTEND! PLEASE!**

His blue magic circle lit up and he stuck his own arm through with Derflinger in hand, unlike growing a big like _mine_ did, his arm extended like a piece of taffy. Going around my wall of fire, he slashed at me with his sword. I had to dodge, ending my flames and allowing them to charge at me again. I quickly recovered and moved to slash at him, but he had slipped on another ring without me noticing.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

It was too late when I slashed at Water Style that he suddenly collapsed into water and reformed back, catching me off guard.

**HURRICANE! SHOOTING STRIKE! FU, FU, FU! FU, FU, FU!**

That was another thing that caught me off guard. I was so focused on battling Water Style that I didn't notice Hurricane Style firing off green air bullets at me and it hit me dead on, by the sparks that were flying off my armor.

"Ow!" I cried, falling onto my back. Grunting, I got up, "That hurt you jerk!"

"All's fair in war!" Hurricane laughed back.

**DRILL! PLEASE!**

The ground suddenly exploded as Land came bursting out, punching me in the chin as he came up. I was launched clean off of my feet and I landed on my back once again. I groaned, trying to shake the stars from my head.

"Oooh, suddenly this doesn't seem like a good idea…" I groaned to myself.

"Are you kidding me?! This is the best fight ever and the audience, are looking pretty impressed! Even the princess herself is looking impressed!" Derflinger said.

"Is she really?" I perked up. Glancing to the Princess, I saw that she was sitting rigidly in her seat and looking transfixed by what was going on. Was she concerned for me, or was she just that entranced by someone who could use all four elements?

Man I hope I looked cool. At least give me that.

**BIG! PLEASE!**

"HUH?" I said startled as I turned to see Land Style's big arm, slam me hard on the stage floor.

"Ooooooh!" the audience groaned in sympathy.

"…Ow," Derflinger and I groaned in pain.

"Give up?" Land Style demanded.

"Gah…" I groaned as I staggered back up. "Sorry… it's not in my dictionary."

I needed space to make my moves and the three weren't going to give it to me. So I quickly swapped out another ring and passed it over the Hand Author.

**LIGHT! PLEASE!**

My ring suddenly shined bright and Water, Hurricane, and Land Style had to shield their eyes from the brightness of the light. Heck, even the audience had to shield their eyes. It was that bright. But at least it's given me the time I needed to bring this show to a finale. So taking out another ring and replacing the Light Ring, I flipped the Hand Author twice before placing the ring in front of the Hand Author.

**BIND! PLEASE!**

Six circles from the ground appeared and metal chains came out to bind Hurricane and Land Style, but...

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

Water Style was able to get away with it.

"Alright Derf, let's do this!" I said.

"You got it Partner!" Derf said, before opening up the Hand Author or in this case, Derf's mouth.

**C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS!**

I placed the Flame Style ring near Derf's mouth. "Eat some magic up!"

**FLAME! SLASH STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

The blade ignited with magic fire before I slashed at the pair. The flaming blades flew through the air and struck home. Explosions of sparks came from both of my clones and they both collapsed to the ground. The pair flashed yellow and green before vanished.

"Two down, one to go."

"Wow! That was some firepower you gave me!" Derf exclaimed. "I was literally fired up!"

"Yeah, but stay frosty. There's one more," I warned my weapon.

"So it's just you and me huh?" Water Style asked as he and I circled each other.

"Sure looks that way." I said. "Let's give the audience a grand finale."

We both took out a ring and donned them, swiping them over our Hand Authors, both magic items calling out the same spell.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

A red and blue magic circle appeared below our feet. Energy converted to Fire and Water respectively as it engulfed our kicking feet.

The audience looked in worry, wondering what happened and who won the fight.

We both cartwheeled towards each other before leaping up into the air and aimed a corkscrew kick at one another. We collided in the air with a massive slam. My fire and his water collided, creating a massive cloud of steam which concealed us as the force of the blows knocked us away.

"Can anyone see in there?" One asked.

"I don't know. I can't see in all that steam!" Another answered.

"Who won?" A third student questioned.

I pulled myself up from where I landed and looked over to where I was sure Water Style had fallen. My leg was numb from the recoil of the attack so I felt myself walking with a slight limp. Walking through the steam, I saw Water Style on the ground. He wasn't moving and when I tried to see if he was still moving but he flashed blue and vanished.

"Well, I win I guess." I grinned, stepping toward the edge of the stage as the steam cleared, revealing myself in my ruby glory.

The audience gasped, seeing that I won.

"Fin." I sighed, taking a bow.

The audience was silent at first. I was sure most of them saw my duel with Guiche but I hadn't showed off the full extent of my elemental abilities. Showing them off so blatantly likely made people realize I really did have control over the four classic elements rather than just in name like one may have assumed. The princess seemed to be taken back by the sight, shocked at seeing what I showed myself to be capable of.

And then… I heard one clap. It was from Princess Henrietta. After that, there was another clap, followed by a couple more, then a few, then several, and it built up more and more until the whole crowd gave me a standing ovation.

I nodded and waved at the crowd, taking in their applause.

"That was amazing!" One praised.

"It was incredible!" Another complimented.

"He's so dreamy!"

Whoa… didn't expect that last one.

"Bravo Darling!"

Okay, I was expecting Kirche.

"Hehehehe… nice job Partner, everyone loves ya." Derf snickered.

"Yeah… it was worth a few lumps." I grinned.

I looked to the side of the stage and Louise looked really happy that I did really well. Maybe we can win this competition after all.

* * *

So with our performance done, I went back to civilian and the Princess announced that she and the judges will talk amongst themselves to decide who the winner of the Familiar Exhibition is. So while everyone, Louise and I decided to walk around the campus a little. To be honest, Louise looked a little too excited to actually be standing around.

"That was so impressive!" she all but squealed. "The princess and the judges were so impressed! We're _sure_ to win!"

"Calm down Louise. We won't know until Princess Henrietta is done conferring with the judges. It's anyone's game at this point." I reminded.

"Oh who could compare to actual magic attacks?" Louise scoffed.

"Look, all I'm saying is don't count your chickens before they hatch." I said.

"What?" Louise blinked. "What do chickens have to do with this?"

"It's an expression…" I deadpanned. "I'm saying to wait until a good thing we're expecting actually happens before you make any plans about it."

"Oh. Well, whatever." Louise shrugged. "Anyway, walk with me while we wait for the judges to declare the winner."

"Now you act like I'm a good Familiar…" I muttered under my breath as I walked alongside Louise.

We continued to walk on for a while longer until I noticed something from afar near the school. "Uh Louise… what's that brown thing up ahead?" I asked pointing to it.

As we walked through the courtyard, I had spotted something really big and brown sticking out from around the corner and partially hidden by one of the towers of the school. It kind of looked like it was made out of rock or dirt or something. Were some of the earth mages in the school making a big statue to honor the princess or something?

"What in Founder's–" Louise asked shocked. I looked closer to see some person on its shoulder. It looked female and she noticed us.

"Tch… I've been discovered. Golem! Crush them!" The woman ordered.

The brown thing, what I thought was a mount, of dirt shuddered, revealing it to be a humanoid figure made out of a huge pile of dirt. Its blank face stared down at us before it reared back its fist in preparation to smash us both.

"Whoa!" I said surprised as I grabbed Louise and jumped out of the way before the fist, missed us. I held Louise close as I rolled to a stop.

"What the heck is that thing?!" I cried, pulling Louise to her feet.

"I–I–It's a golem… but I've never seen one so big!" Louise sputtered. "She must be Triangle Class to make one so big!"

"Great…" I groaned before I took out the PlaMonster rings.

**GARUDA! PLEASE!**

**KRAKEN! PLEASE!**

The two PlaMonsters formed in front me and I attached the rings to their bodies. "Go get help! Tell the Headmaster that a Triangle Class Golem is attacking the Academy! Go!"

The two PlaMonsters squeaked and took off. I then turned my attention back to the massive golem which towered above us. Since it was made of dirt, maybe wetting it down would help save our hides.

"Now… onto you…" I said before switching rings.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The cloaked woman said as the WizarDriver formed around my waist, "Hm?"

I flipped the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

The ringtone repeated as I slipped on the Water Style ring. I then shouted, "Henshin!" before placing the ring in front of the Hand Author.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

The blue magic circle passed over me, forming my Water Style armor. I gently pushed Louise back as I approached the golem. I had a bit of an idea to wet the golem down and I just had to hope this woman couldn't control water like she could soil.

"What's this: a jeweled armored warrior? How interesting…" The cloaked woman mused.

"Who are you?!" I demanded. "And what are you doing?!"

"Hm… They call me Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt." the woman snickered, obviously finding me a novelty rather than any kind of true threat.

"Well you're about to _become_ Crumbling Dirt once I beat that Golem of yours!" I shot back.

"Hmph, just who do you think you are?"

"I'm the Diamond of Justice in the Rough of Oppression! The Jewel of Hope unearthed from the Sands of Despair! I am Kamen Rider Wizard!"

"Oh spare me nobles and their flowery speech." Fouquet snorted. "Golem, crush him!"

"Heh, who said I was a noble?" I smirked as I flipped the Hand Author and switched rings on my right hand.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

My body collapsed into a body of water and I surged at the golem's fist, soaking it with water before I traveled up the golem's arm and towards its torso. Despite soaking into the dirt, I didn't lose any mass myself as the golem's arm turned to mud. I hit the torso and splashed through it as well, soaking it into mud before surging up at Fouquet herself.

"What in the–" Fouquet gasped as I reformed to my solid form.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

The magic circle appeared and I grabbed Derf out of the circle. "Take this!" I shouted, swinging him on Fouquet.

Fouquet gritted her teeth and suddenly a wall of dirty came up from the golem to block my attack, but the wall was squishy and didn't form very well. Derflinger tore through her cloak, revealing a shapely body in a tight uniform, but I still couldn't see her face. It did confirm my guess though. She could control Earth itself just fine, but when it got mixed with something else she lost control of it and couldn't manipulate it as well as she could have.

"Heh… you're not so good with water huh?" I scoffed.

"Enough for something blunt!" Fouquet snapped, causing a pillar to erupt at me. Even if it was mud, it would still hurt if it hit me with the speed it was coming at me. I blocked with Derf, but the pillar was still coming strong.

"Whoa! What the heck?" Derf cried out.

"Gnnn…" I grunted, my feet sliding through the surface of the muddy golem. Okay, so she didn't have fine control over mud, but she had enough to do something blunt like this! Well, I was just going to have to make it more water than mud!

**WATER! SLASH STRIKE! SUI, SUI, SUI! SUI, SUI, SUI!**

Swirls of water formed around the blade as it built up, getting larger and larger. "You need to cool off!" I shouted before swinging, sending a huge torrent of water at Fouquet.

The attack tore through the muddy pillar like a hot knife through butter. Fouquet seemed to have the experience and instinct to dodge out of the way. Still, the attack tore a huge gouge through the golem's shoulder we stood on and on one big blast which sent mud flying in all directions, obliterated its soaked head. Fouquet clung near the edge of the shoulder and I was standing tall, but then the golem shuddered which really was a bad sign if you asked me.

"Partner, this thing is going to fall apart! Move it!" Derflinger cried out.

Apparently, with Fouquet's fine control being compromised by the golem's muddy body and now with its head gone, the thing couldn't stay composed anymore and was about to fall apart. That was all I needed to know before I took a running leap off of the thing's shoulder.

"Geez, where's the Headmaster, when you need him?" I groaned. That was when Garuda came back to me and looked panicked for some reason.

An explosion suddenly rocked the ground, almost knocking me off balance. I looked around and saw smoke rising from another portion of the courtyard. My face paled when I realized that it was the area in which the exhibition was being held. Frowning, I looked to where Fouquet was getting up, covered in mud.

"Okay, just what were you planning?" I demanded, walking up to her and grabbing her cloak. Amazingly, I still couldn't see her face. The thing must have been enchanted somehow to hide her identity. "Was this all a distraction?"

"Don't look at me! I was trying to break into the treasury!" Fouquet snapped, surprisingly irate for being blamed for another crime. "I don't know who is doing that! I'm a thief, not a soldier!"

"But then that would mean–!" Louise realized. That was when Garuda flew over to me, chirping in a panic.

"Garuda, please tell me a Phantom isn't attacking the exhibition." I groaned.

The sad chirp and shaking head told me all I needed to know. Why oh, why couldn't it have been an assassin or revolutionary or something? That would have been easier to deal with!

"Grrr…" I growled before turning to Fouquet. "I'll have a Copy of me deal with you for the time being." I said, before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A second version of me appeared and looked to me for orders.

"Deal with her until I get back!" I said, before I ran off with Louise following me.

"Right," My clone said, before turning to Fouquet. "Let's dance."

* * *

Was using a clone to keep Fouquet captured a good idea? Well, for any other situation probably not but with a Phantom I had to have all of my power ready to go and a clone just didn't have the staying power for it. They dispel too easily and I didn't have the Drago Timer to create a perfect copy.

"Do you think there's a Gate there?" Louise asked as she ran beside me.

"Are you kidding? This school is filled to the _brim_ with magic users! I'm surprised it isn't attacked daily!" I retorted.

We continued running until we reached the courtyard and to my dismay, we have Ghoul Phantoms running amok causing havoc amongst the students too. The teacher and staff along with the Princess's guard were doing everything they can to stop them. Wait a minute… the Princess!

She was up at the judge's table with the teachers. At first they all looked fine, but then I saw something approaching them through the chaos and was batting aside the trained guards like they were flies in the air.

The Phantom this time was white and covered in feathers. It was female too, judging by the body shape. It wore a steel torso armor which covered only the breasts and nothing else, leaving the soft down feathers to reveal the rest of her. Her arms looked like wings, but had black hands at the end of them, making the wings look more like sleeves. She wore silver thigh armor, but her feet ended in golden boots that looked a little like talons. Her face looked like a porcelain mask with black eyes and red lips, but it was partially concealed by the ornate falcon head helmet she wore, the brow encrusted with an emerald, her status as a Phantom.

"Harpy…" I frowned.

"Another one of those things eh Partner?" asked Derflinger. "Let's take it down!"

"Right,"

"W–Who are you?" Henrietta demanded.

_**"I am the one that will lead you to despair, Gate."**_

WHAT?! HENRIETTA IS A GATE?!

Well, it made sense. Henrietta was royalty so obviously she would be able to use magic like the other students. Also, since she was royalty one might assume she was stronger than the average magic user as well, which meant that if a Phantom was born from her then it would be considerably stronger than the others. Maybe even at Executive level.

"Princess," Louise cried out, making her and the Phantom notice Louise and I.

"Louise, Kurogasa!" Henrietta said.

Harpy gasped when she saw me, _**"Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai?"**_

"Surprise," I called, slashing at the enemy Phantom.

The Harpy Phantom shrieked in pain as she was sent flying back. I then rushed next to the Princess.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Y–Yes, I'm fine." Henrietta stuttered.

"Good." I nodded. "Louise, get your best friend out of here. I'll deal with the Phantom."

"R–Right," Louise nodded, running to Henrietta's side. "This way Princess," She added. Henrietta nodded before she went away with Louise to a safe place and I faced the Harpy Phantom.

_**"Grrr… you'll pay for interfering in Wiseman's mission!"**_ Harpy growled.

Hearing the Harpy Phantom say that; concerned me. Anansi said the same thing. Somehow, the Phantoms here believed in Wiseman. How? Was a Phantom brought to Halkeginia like I was? No… it's impossible… there's no way. The only way I'd believe that Wiseman is here is if Phoenix, Medusa, and Gremlin were here too. Shaking off the thought, I prepared to fight the Harpy Phantom as well as the Ghouls she brought with her.

_**"Ghouls, attack the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai!"**_ The Harpy Phantom ordered before the said Ghouls charged at me.

"Partner, here they come!" Derf cried out.

"I'm on it!" I replied. No time to mess around. Hit hard and fast!

**WATER! SLASH STRIKE! SUI, SUI, SUI! SUI, SUI, SUI!**

Water formed around the blade before I charged at them and slashed them. Some try to stab me with their lances, but I blocked their attacks and slashed their lances before slashing them.

I tore through them like wet tissue paper, causing them to explode as I ran through their ranks.

"Are you ready to dance?"

_**"Sorry, but you're not my type!"**_ Harpy screeched before charging at me.

Metal claws slipped from her sleeves as she swiped at me. Sparks erupted from where her weapon met mine. She was stronger than she looked, my knees almost buckling from the force behind the blow. Still, the suit enhanced me enough to keep the fight going. I couldn't directly block her anymore or she'd win in the battle of stamina.

"I'm gonna have to do this." I said, before opening up Derf's mouth and scanned the Ring I wanted.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A small magic circle appeared and a copy of my WizarSwordGun appeared, so I can dual wield.

"Alright, see how you like this!" I said as I charged at the Harpy Phantom and used my two WizarSwordGuns to slash at her.

The Harpy Phantom parried the blows, but now with the both of us having a pair of weapons she was having a harder time of it. I tried to steer the fight away from the exhibition grounds since Henrietta was still nearby and a few of the students lacked the survival instinct of even lemmings and were still there, gawking at the fight. I didn't want the Phantom to decide to cut her losses and try to drop them into despair if she couldn't get the princess.

"Let's see if you can fly drenched!" I said before switching the copy WizarSwordGun to gun mode. I opened up both Hand Authors.

**C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS!**

**COME ON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS!**

**WATER! SHOOTING/SLASH STRIKE! SUI, SUI, SUI! SUI, SUI, SUI!**

I took aim with my gun and fired several blasts of enchanted water before following them up with slashes from my sword. Each of the waves from the slashes connected with the bullets, causing the mass of water to shine like blue crystal before surging even faster at the Phantom. In hindsight, I'd later recall it to be like the finisher the Gokaigers would use with their guns and swords.

And as expected, the water bullets and slash hit dead on, completely drenching the Harpy Phantom while it writhed in pain.

_**"My feathers, you've ruined them! You ruined my beautiful feathers!"**_ The Harpy Phantom shrieked.

"Shouldn't she have exploded?" asked Derflinger.

"Yeah, the other ones do when you hit them like that!" his copy insisted.

"If I actually hit her," I replied. I was a little surprised to see how precise my vision was while in my armored form, but I had gotten used to it. I hadn't aimed to kill the Phantom. Not yet anyway since she was having a habit of leaping all over the place while we fought, fluttering like a bird and making it hard to keep up. My last attack was used to clip her wings and keep her on the ground.

"Okay then, let's actually finish her off!" I said before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

I flipped through the air and aimed for the downed Harpy Phantom. It should've been a clean strike, but my rotten luck decided I had been having it too good lately and decided to do something about it. This time, it came in the form of a fire back blasting me out of the air. It hurt and were, I in any other form aside from Flame Style, it may have dropped me for good. As it was, I crashed to the ground with smoking armor as Harpy stumbled to her feet.

"Gah– what in the–" I cringed, trying to figure out what's going on. Where the heck did that blast come from anyway?

"You okay Partner?" Derf asked worriedly.

"Peachy…" I groaned as I tried to get up.

Harpy looked panicked, looking around for my attacker. Seeing that she couldn't find him, she turned to me, _**"You're lucky today! I've got more important things than just killing you! I'll be back for the princess and next time I'll turn her into a Phantom!"**_ And with that, she staggered away, before somehow being able to fly off.

"Wait!" I shouted, trying to go after but then cringed in pain, falling to one knee before I went back to civilian form. That blast really hurt.

"Kurogasa," Louise called out, as I turned and noticed her and Henrietta running towards me.

"Yo…" I muttered weakly. "Are you two okay?"

"I should be asking _you_ that!" Louise retorted.

"Are you well?" Henrietta asked, kneeling next to me, searching for wounds. "That fireball spell looked especially strong and that creature could not have been an easy opponent either."

"Yeah, it was." I said, as I tried to stand up, but…, "Ergh!" I cringed again, closing one eye while panting before staying back down. "Dang it, that fireball must be a lot stronger than I thought."

"Lay down please." Henrietta gently pressed me down to the ground on my back. "I am a Water Mage and I know a number of healing spells."

"Ok…" I sighed, trying to relax myself.

Henrietta lifted her staff and spoke words in what I think was Latin before the head began to shine. Streams of water materialized from the air and wrapped around my burns and cuts. The cooling sensation was downright wonderful and before my eyes, the wounds vanished.

"Wow… my wounds… they're all gone." I said as I slowly sat up to look at myself for any cuts and burns and there were none.

"Thank goodness." Henrietta smiled.

"No, thank _you_." I smiled back.

It was a nice moment that I had with the princess, but it was abruptly ended when I felt something pinch my ear. It really hurt. I mean, way more than the cuts and burns I suffered. How could such a small portion of my head hurt so much?

"Don't go flirting with the princess!" Louise hissed angrily in my ear.

"Ow, ow, ow, okay already." I cringed before she let go. But then, I remembered something. "Oh no… Fouquet! I completely forgot about her!"

Louise gasped, realizing the same thing. "She's still on the other side of the courtyard! Your clone still has her detained, right?!"

"What?" Henrietta gasped. "Fouquet? As in: Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt?"

"She was using the exhibition as a distraction to break into the treasury." I grunted, standing up. "Louise and I stumbled onto her using a golem to break down the treasury walls. We fought and I destroyed the golem, but the Phantom appeared so I left a clone to keep her detained. I don't know if it's still there though."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,"

And there's my answer…

The out wall of the Academy exploded as a new massive golem smashed through it. On its shoulder was Fouquet holding some kind of case. She looked over at us and waved mockingly, "You came, close boy! But you failed in the final sprint! Better luck next time!"

"Get back here!" I shouted, about to run after her, but she used her Earth magic to put up dirt walls to prevent me from getting to her.

With that, the last thing Fouquet said was, "We'll meet again Gandalfr!"

"Crap!" I snapped, slamming my fist against the dirt wall. But… what did she say to me? I was Gan–what? Bah, whatever it is, I don't have time to think about it now. Right now, I have other things to deal with.

* * *

The sun set and everything was settling down after the whole incident today and Louise and I were questioned by the Princess's guards about what happened earlier today and why she was targeted.

"She's a massive reservoir of magic." I sighed, explaining to the irate captain. "A Phantom born from her would be exceptionally powerful and an asset to whatever the Phantoms are working towards."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" The captain snapped.

"Believing it or not is your decision, but the fact of the matter, is that your Princess is a target to these Phantoms and is in grave danger."

The captain was having difficulty believing me, obviously. Since the Phantoms had never reared their heads before now and no one had ever heard of monsters born from people's inborn magic mixed with despair, naturally many thought it was impossible. I noticed a lot that nobles tended to actively deny things that happened outside their comfort zones. Add the fact that the knights were completely useless against the Harpy Phantom and I bet the captain's ego was downright nil at the moment. Failing to protect the princess and some no–rank magic–user managed to do better and he could even be holding a grudge against me. I just hoped he wasn't one of those petty noble types.

"That is quite enough, Captain." Henrietta said, approaching us. "Like it or not, this man has saved my life. I owe him that much."

"Your Majesty… his tale is too farfetched to be true!" The captain tried to… reason? Argue? It was too close to tell. "You are to believe that these Monsters born from our despair which can mimic us exist? It's ridiculous. Such a thing surely can't be possible."

"And yet it almost happened to me." Henrietta frowned. "This man was able to hold his own against such a creature to protect me; something that you failed to do Captain."

The man flinched like he had been struck, but Henrietta continued, "Although considering our lack of knowledge over these creatures, I can't fault you too much about it. However, this is to gain information on Fouquet as well as these creatures, not to pin blame on someone hoping to receive praise. Now please let this young man continue explaining these Phantoms."

"Y–Yes… Your Majesty…" The Captain stuttered.

"Thank you." I said. And with that, I explained everything I knew about the Phantoms, Gates, etc. Heck, one of the soldiers even wrote this down on a piece of paper to make sure he got all the information down. There was a lot I had to tell and I'm not leaving out any details.

"How can these Phantoms drop someone into despair so easily?" asked Henrietta. "Surely it is not as simple as you described."

"A person's hope can usually be tied to one specific thing, person, or even a facet of their personality." I answered. Although the Phantoms in the T.V. show did seem to have an easy time of dropping humans into despair sometimes, I did have a theory. "What the Phantoms do is root out what that is. Say a person's hope lies in the inspiration they received from another person. The Phantom would kill that person or something that reminds the victim of them and that would be enough, or someone who thrived to be social. If the Phantom drove away everyone who would even talk to them, they would fall into despair. The Phantoms are viciously good at what they do."

"And when that person falls into despair long enough…" Henrietta began.

"…Then the person dies and a new Phantom is born. There are two ways that a Gate can survive. One is by me, entering the subconscious of that person to destroy the Phantom there. The Gate will live, but they'll no longer have that magic in them because it's all from the Phantom. The other way is something that rarely happens. The person falling into despair _has_ to hold onto their hope. But then again, how could they when they are in so much despair? If they're able to hold onto their hope, they can suppress their Phantom within and can use magic in exchange for that."

"So… with the first method a noble could lose their magic and with the second, a commoner could gain magic?" asked Henrietta.

"Well, maybe with the first. That or they just run out of mana and need to rest to regain it before they can cast spells again." I shrugged. All the people in the series weren't trained to use magic so I was never sure if they lost the potential or just their mana was temporarily drained. "The second, well, for the Phantom to be born the potential for magic has to already be there."

"So even the illegitimate children of nobles could be made victims," Henrietta nodded. "And with so many pretending they don't exist, no one would notice."

"Exactly," I nodded. "Princess, I think that it would be best that you stay with me for the time being until the Harpy Phantom is no more. With her out there, there's no telling what would happen while you're returning to the palace."

Louise and the captain cried out, "What?!"

"Let me finish!" I snapped at them. "My magic is specifically tuned to destroying Phantoms while yours seems to be rather hit or miss at even hurting them. At least with the Princess here, we can predict the paths the Harpy Phantom might take in trying to get to her. At the castle, with so many ways in or out, can you say the same?"

Louise and the captain flinched at my question as both of them looked at each other in worry. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing, and I'm not going to let Princess Henrietta fall into despair. You have my word."

"Then I will be in your care." Henrietta nodded.

"A–Are you sure Princess?" Louise asked worriedly.

"This threat must be dealt with, even if were caught unaware." Henrietta replied. "Now all we can do is make our plans and do our best to make sure these Phantoms cannot do any more damage."

"I…" Louise began, before nodding, "I understand."

* * *

So with that, we relayed all the information to Headmaster Osmond and Colbert. They were glad that Princess Henrietta is alright and that they're happy to have her as their guest for the time being. They in turn, told us about Fouquet the Crumbing Dirt and that she stole something from the treasury, called the Staff of Destruction or something like that. Whatever was in that case, they had to get it back.

With a name like that, it was definitely something which was going to be dangerous in the wrong hands. It didn't help our situation with the Harpy Phantom and whoever was helping her breathing down our necks. Still, Osmond agreed that Henrietta took priority over the Staff. He reassured us saying that using the Staff was quite complicated and he had never figured it out himself. We had time to strategize in that regard.

It was now late at night and I escorted Princess Henrietta back to her guest room to turn in for the night.

"I'm sorry about bringing so much upheaval with this new threat Your Majesty." I apologized.

"No it's okay." Henrietta smiled. "To be honest, I haven't had this much excitement in a long time."

"Well, that's an optimistic way of looking at it." I smiled.

"I suppose." Henrietta said before we stopped at my door. "Well, here we are. This is my room. Thank you for escorting me."

"Oh, it's no problem." I waved off.

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good night."

"Good night." I replied. Henrietta was about to go into her room until she forgot something. "Oh I almost forgot." She said turning around to face me.

"Huh?"

"I forgot to tell you the winner of the festival." She said before whispering to my ear, "It's you."

"Huh? I won?" I blinked.

"Yes, you were really impressive out there. And here's your reward for that performance and saving me." Henrietta smiled before she came up close to me and… kissed me on the cheek.

Oh wow… a kiss from a princess. This would never have happened to me at home.

"Well then, good night." Henrietta said with a slight blush before going in her room and closing the door.

"Yeah… good night…" I said, holding the cheek where Henrietta kissed. She kissed me… She kissed me! SHE KISSED ME! YATTAAAAAAAAAAA!

* * *

_In Louise's room, Louise woke up from a violent, ice cold chill running down her spine. _

_"Brrrr… wh–what was that just now?" Louise said to herself, as she held herself instinctively to stay warm. It was like something in her heart told her that the world as she knew it had just shifted in some strange, unpleasant way._

LINE BREAK

**"So… the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai is here…"**_ A figure said in the darkness_

**"Yes Master. He has slain two of our own: Anansi and Sleipnir. If it weren't for me saving Harpy, she would not have lived. Perhaps I should pay him a visit and show him what happens when he slays one of our own."**

**"Hm,"**_ the Master frowned. _**"Keep an eye on Harpy and tell her she is still expected to fulfill her mission. Henrietta outside of her castle is too much of a target to simply give up. Watch for the Mahōtsukai and observe how he thinks and fights. I suspect that he is not the one I know, and thus I cannot predict him like the one I knew in the old world."**

**"But of course… Wiseman…"**

* * *

And there you have it people! And what a surprise we have here. Wiseman is in the Zero no Tsukaima world! But is it the one from the series? Or a different one? You'll have to find out next chapter! So until then, see ya!


	5. A Thief's Revelation

Hey there guys, it's time for another chapter of Wizard of Zero! And boy do I have two surprises for you! First, a Phantom is going to appear, but it's one that you all know too well. Which one is it you ask? Well, we're gonna find out soon! And as for the second surprise? Oh boy, you won't expect this one! So let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

In the days since the exhibition, everyone was tense. With Fouquet making off with a dangerous magical relic and a Phantom gunning for the princess, everyone was on high alert. The headmaster had sent out his agents to try and gather information where Fouquet or any more Phantoms may have been hiding out. The royal guards patrolled the grounds tightly and without compromise, hoping to bring down Harpy before she could even see the princess.

I think the captain was also nursing a bruised ego for fumbling on the job when Harpy attacked. He was always the first to go on patrol or bark orders about a gap in security. I don't think he liked me all that much either.

Still, other than that things were pretty much normal. At least… it's normal as things get around this place.

Right now, Louise and I were walking with Princess Henrietta over to the dining area for breakfast, with Derf in tow.

"Did you have a good night sleep Princess?" I asked.

"Yes I did. Thank you for asking." Henrietta smiled.

I turned to Louise, but her face was so contorted in anger while grinding her teeth. What's _her_ problem?

Louise was to attend class and for once she was ordering me to follow her. I didn't think leaving Henrietta alone would be a good idea since we don't know what the Phantom's human form looked like, but Louise insisted… loudly. Henrietta said she would be fine but I wasn't sure…

"You know if you keep doing that face, it's gonna stay like that for a long time." I said.

"I wouldn't have to look this way if my Familiar wasn't such a dog!" Louise huffed.

"Ugh… we're gonna talk about this again?" I groaned with a facepalm. "I'm not like that towards the Princess. Heck, I wouldn't even _dare_ try with how you're acting."

"I saw you flirting with her!" Louise snapped. "You're getting all close to her, asking questions, and looking over her body like you were!"

"Ugh… if only I had a Silence Ring so you could shut up…" I mumbled to myself.

"What was that?!" Louise snapped again, making me flinch.

"Nothing," I squeaked.

"Geez Partner, you need to choose your words…" Derf mumbled as he wriggled out of a sheath that was strapped behind my back. Oh yeah, the other day, I went back into town and I put a sheath for Derf to go in. Now he can hang out with me all he wants. He wouldn't stop whining about how boring being in the storage pocket was so I had to buy a, sheathe for him or else he'd make my life hell apparently.

"I can't help it Derf…" I hissed to him softly. "Louise just won't shut up about me being a pervert, which I'm not…"

"Well, when it comes to that princess, I wouldn't blame you if you were Partner," Derflinger laughed. "She's definitely worth it!"

"Yeah, but I'm not taking any chances…"

"What are you two talking about?" Louise growled.

"Nothing," Derf and I squeaked.

"Is something wrong?" Henrietta asked, turning to us.

"Ahh… nothing at all," I chuckled, but then gulped when Louise began growling again. Man, this is gonna be a long day…

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical_ _Wizard_ _Rings:_ _It contains_ _the power of the four_ _elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of_ _Despair, a familiar with_ _modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the_ _Jewel of Hope: Kamen_ _Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 5: A Thief's Revelation

After having breakfast, Louise, Henrietta, and I along with Derf were called to Headmaster Osmond's office. He along with his secretary Miss Longueville, and the teachers were there too because apparently we somehow got word of where Fouquet's location is.

"Now, I'm sure you are all aware of what has happened, so I shall not elaborate on it," Osmond began. "As of this morning, Miss Longueville managed to suss out the location of Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt."

"Are you serious?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Quite serious," the green–haired woman nodded, holding up a scroll. "From what my sources tell me, she has holed up in the forests at an old cabin which is supposed to be out there. We think that she is trying to learn how to use the Staff of Destruction for either her own purposes or to fetch a higher price for it."

"What about the Phantom that attacked the Princess?" Louise asked.

"Not so much I'm afraid," Osmond shook his head. "You mentioned this creature can take on a human form, correct? Since we have no indication of what that form may be we do not know where to search."

"Not only that, I sent my Familiars out to search and they came back with nothing on where the Harpy Phantom is." I added.

"So we must follow the leads we do have," Osmond nodded, continuing.

"In any case, it's best that we call on the soldiers to find Fouquet." Colbert said.

"No. By then, it will be too late and Fouquet would've escaped by then." Osmond shook his head. "We must retrieve the Staff of Destruction ourselves."

I blinked at that declaration. Not call the soldiers and send a bunch of schoolteachers after a famous thief? Granted the teachers weren't amateurs when it came to magical arts but I doubt Fouquet would face them in regular magical duels where everyone would be out in the open and flashy spells to show off with. I really had to wonder if Osmond was more interested in reclaiming the Staff so to show off to Henrietta.

"Now is there anyone who would volunteer to go on this quest?" Osmond asked, but no one raised their hands. I couldn't blame them. Fouquet was a hardened criminal and likely one who wouldn't be afraid to fight for her freedom with any method she had. The teachers were all scholars and each came from noble families, likely never having to do much of anything regarding battle or war in their lives.

In the end, I sighed before I stepped forward saying, "I'll go."

"Ah, our unranked noble; Splendid," Osmond nodded. "Is there anyone else?"

"I'm going too." Louise said stepping forward too.

"Louise?" I stuttered.

"Louise Françoise?" Henrietta gasped.

At that point, the door suddenly flung open and… Kirche and Tabitha fell to the ground? Wait a minute, were those two eavesdropping?!

"Miss Zerbst? Miss Tabitha?" asked Colbert.

"Owie…" Kirche whined. "That hurt…

Please tell me she isn't going to come with us…

"I heard everything!" Kirche proclaimed, bouncing *literally* to her feet.

"…Dragged me along…" Tabitha added while she got to her feet normally.

Oh no… don't say anything more Kirche…

"You heard everything?" Osmond asked.

"Yes, and I volunteer to go on this quest,"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The look on Louise's face mirrored my own, but for different reasons.

Tabitha raised her hand too.

"Miss Tabitha?" Colbert asked.

"Oh Tabitha, you don't have to." Kirche said.

"Worried about you three…" She said, before glaring a bit at Kirche. "Need to keep an eye on you…"

"Oh Tabitha," Kirche cooed, taking the comment as a declaration of friendship. I wasn't so sure if that was it…

"Allow me to join as well."

HUH?! HENRIETTA?!

"Y–Y–Your Majesty," Louise gaped, one of many gaping in the room.

"Princess, I cannot allow that." I immediately denied. "I can't put you at risk of being harmed. Your mother is going to kill me if anything happened to you."

"That's why you will protect me." Henrietta countered. "If I accompany you, there's a chance that the Phantom that's targeting me may come out of hiding."

"But you will be at risk!" cried Louise.

"A good trap needs appropriate bait," Henrietta retorted. "That aside, I am a water mage, a perfect counter to Fouquet's branch of earth magic."

Well she _does_ have a point. Fouquet earth magic wasn't really that refined despite her being a Triangle Mage. She used plain old dirt to make her golems and water could deal with that since she couldn't control mud as easily.

"Are you sure you want to do this Princess. There's no turning back once we go through with it." I warned.

"I am sure," Henrietta nodded.

I thought about this for a while before saying, "Alright then, but stay close to me okay?"

"Of course," Henrietta nodded.

"Then it's settled, we'll leave this to you then," Osmond nodded, "Honestly, I think this is a bad, but it can't be helped. Plus I think this is as best as it could get." He gestured to Tabitha. "Despite her young age, Miss Tabitha already has been bestowed with the knight title of Chevalier for her past accomplishments."

"Say what?!" Louise and I asked shocked. I've heard of guys being knights, but girls? This is a first.

"And Miss Zerbst is from one of the most famous military families in Germania," Osmond continued, turning to gesture at Kirche, who smiled at the praise.

"That's right! And I get to be with Darling on this trip!"

Oh man… can't this woman take a hint that I don't want to be anywhere near her?!

"And Miss Vallière who…" Osmond trailed off, causing Louise's eye to twitch. "Uh…well… she works very hard according to her teachers." I tried my best not to laugh seeing that Osmond was trying to be nice despite her magic being zero. To be honest, it's actually kinda sad.

Louise slumped looking almost like a black cloud was rising above her head. In a way, it was kind of adorable too with how cute she could be. Henrietta looked at Louise in concern, obviously tempted to comfort her friend and only the audience's presence was keeping her where she was.

"Oh that's right!" Osmond remembered putting a fist down his empty palm. "We also have our unranked noble that can use all four elements in the style of Rings!"

"No autographs, please," I spoke.

"Not to mention that he's the legendary Ganda–!" Professor Colbert began but Osmond glared at him and he shut his mouth. What was he about to say? Well, I could ask them about it later. Right now, we had a thief to find and hopefully a Phantom to fight. I just wish Henrietta wasn't so insistent on using herself as bait. We could have used a double or something couldn't we?

* * *

So with preparations ready, Louise and I along with Derf, Princess Henrietta, Kirche, and Tabitha got on a wagon pulled by a horse with Miss Longueville driving and guiding towards the supposed hiding location of Fouquet.

"Ah, isn't it relaxing Darling?" Kirche smiled, leaning against me and making sure I could see her cleavage. "It's a nice, relaxing ride through the country."

I only stayed silent while irritated as I had my eyes closed, and one of them was twitching. This wagon ride better be quick because I don't want to sit next to Kirche any longer! Louise's low growl showed she agreed with me. How Tabitha could ignore it all for her book I would never know. As for Henrietta, well… she looked ahead on the road while Miss Longueville kept driving the wagon. I couldn't guess what she was thinking about. But I had to admit that she was brave for using herself as bait for the Phantom.

Personally, I was against idea of Henrietta being used as bait, but I can tell that she's a strong willed woman and that she looks like someone doesn't give up without a fight. I gotta give her props for that.

The question was what our plan was going to be. Longueville gave us a vague description of the cabin, but we didn't know what Fouquet was going to put into protecting it. I didn't know what kind of security was available for a noble or for a commoner. Fouquet probably had black market connections to get some of the good stuff too. Then add a possible Phantom into the mix and things weren't going to be easy. Although a thought came to me of why she wanted to go through all that trouble?

"So…" I spoke up, pointedly ignoring Kirche trying to draw my attention to her breasts. "What exactly can we expect from Fouquet? I mean, she can't just make golems can she?"

"What do you mean by _that_?" Louise asked.

"I mean think about it. She's a Triangle Mage, meaning most likely she used to be a noble right? So why go through all the trouble of just stealing something from the treasury? There's got to be more than meets the eye."

"She's a thief, what more do we need to know?" asked Louise.

I groaned and rubbed my temple, "If all nobles have that attitude about law enforcement no wonder she's gotten away so long."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Louise growled.

"Let me be blunt," I sighed. "There are means, motive, and opportunity. All these things have to be determined in order find out criminals and investigate crimes. From your point of view, Fouquet is a thief. Cut. Dry. That's it. However, the fact that Fouquet keeps coming back and pulling off heists like this means that she's not the common hoodlum who picks a pocket here or there. She's a professional and a lot of nobles arrogantly make the mistake of treating her otherwise and thinking their nobility and magic means nothing bad happens to them."

"So what do you suggest?" asked Henrietta, looking more interested than insulted over a criticism to the judicial system.

"Let's go over what we do know about Fouquet," I explained. "We know that she's a Triangle–level Earth mage. She can create massive golems out of soil and has some control over mud so long as it's more soil than water. I don't know about the power levels of this country, but I assume that Triangle–level mages are few and far between?"

"Very uncommon," Tabitha intoned, showing she was paying attention.

"Okay, so that means she likely didn't learn by herself." I nodded. "That in turn means that she likely had formal education and training which means that she's not the offspring of a noble who kept a mistress around somewhere, but raised and trained by a proper noble family."

"So she's a disgraced noble?" asked Kirche.

"Well, we can't be sure of that," I shrugged. "Maybe she is a proper noble, but is doing these thefts in a veil of secrecy so to hide her reputation and fulfil some other purpose."

"Hmmm…" Henrietta said. "That is a very interesting theory."

"And you're very smart too Darling. That's what I like in a man." Kirche cooed.

Ugh… leave me alone…

"But… why would an upstanding noble do such things?" asked Louise.

I shook my head, "Just because they have the title of nobility, doesn't mean they act like it. I'm sure there are plenty of nobles out there who would love nothing more than to ruin any and all opponents they have, backstabbing them or maybe even committing crimes to get what they want. Fouquet, if she is a noble, may be stealing items from nobles that they shouldn't have and intends to blackmail them. Or maybe if she's not she's just selling rare items to the highest bidder in order to support herself and maybe people who depend on her. Life isn't so pretty as to assume you can just kick back and relax, expecting everything to go your way. You have to make some tough decisions sometimes if you want to survive."

"And that is something that I have to go through every day when it comes to the people." Henrietta added.

"Coming back to my original point," I continued. "By discerning means, motive, and opportunity we can begin to deduce how Fouquet operates and devise ways to get around her tactics and bring her down. No criminal is exactly like another, and thorough investigation brings greater chances of getting the right person instead of taking someone's word of it in an accusation just because they have a title like nobility. In the eyes of the law, everyone is equal."

All the girls nodded in understanding at my explanation. Somehow they were able to make sense of all of this.

"We're here." Longueville finally spoke.

I leaned over the edge of the cart, seeing the path ahead vanishing into the woods. Fouquet's cabin was supposedly in there where she was holding the Staff of Destruction.

"It looks like we'll have to go on foot from here." I said before Longueville stopped the wagon to a full stop and everyone got off.

"Last chance to pull back Your Majesty," I offered Henrietta.

"No. I'm going through with this." Henrietta said firmly.

"Okay then." I nodded. "Let's go."

"I'll stay here with the wagon." Longueville said.

"Just get ready to move. I've got a feeling Fouquet is going to be ticked," I warned her.

With that, everyone accept Longueville went in the forest.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

**"Grrr… that mahōtsukai–yaro is going to pay for what he did to me…"**_ the Harpy Phantom growled. It was clear and obvious that the Harpy Phantom was not in a happy mood. She had tried to attack the Princess of Tristain and attempt to have her fall into despair but Kamen Rider Wizard just _had_ to come to the rescue and ruin everything for her._

**"Still fuming Harpy?" **

_Harpy turned around and gasped at who she saw._ **"Y–You're–"**

**"I know who I am. What I'm here for is a report on how your assignment is going."**

**"Y–Yes, of course,"** _Harpy stuttered._ **"I'm… still recovering from my encounter with the ring-bearing Wizard."**

**"Well don't take too long. The princess is too much of a good target to let slip through our fingers."**

**"Yes, I know." **_Harpy bowed._

**"And you know that I don't like to do everything myself. So don't fail at your mission."**

**"B–But she's probably heading back to the castle by now if she's not already there!" **_Harpy complained._

**"Oh I don't think so. I sense the Gate is nearby."**

**"What? Are you sure?" **_Harpy gasped._

**"I'm very sure. Apparently she likes to live dangerously."**

**"I–I see."**

**"You know what to do…" **_The figure said, before moving away._** "I'll be watching…"**

* * *

"Ughhhh… are we there yet?" Kirche groaned.

"No…" Louise growled irritably.

"How about now…?"

"No." Tabitha said.

"Now…?"

"No!" I snarled.

"How about–"

"NO!" Louise and I shouted.

This woman… I swear…

The girls and I have been walking through the forest for a while now, but for past half an hour or so, Kirche's been doing nothing but complain the whole trip. I mean seriously, she puts a lot effort into chasing me but not into walking? That doesn't make any sense at all. I tried my best to ignore her, but Kirche had a way of making herself, known.

"My feet hurt~!" Kirche whined.

"Shut up Zerbst!" Louise snapped. "We'll get there when we get there!"

"Hmph… That's easier said than done Vallière." Kirche pouted.

"Then why did you decide to volunteer on the quest in the first place other than trying to get to my Familiar?!"

"That's because I get to have a dashing adventure with my Darling of course!" Kirche proclaimed proudly, but then pouted, "I just didn't expect so much walking."

"Oh, are you and Mr. Kururugi a couple?" asked Henrietta curiously.

"WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT!" I exclaimed. Are you kidding me?! Not in a million years!

"Oooh Darling!" Kirche cooed, wrapping her arms around me and pressing against my back. "Don't deny our passion! Our love! I remember the night vividly!"

"You mean where you had five guys come, calling while you were trying to seduce me?" I blandly retorted.

"Pish posh, Dalliances," Kirche waved off the comment.

"I DON'T CARE!" I cried out comically angry as I got her off of me. "YOU PRACTICALLY TRIED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME AND I'M NOT HAVING MY NOTCH ADDED TO YOUR BEDPOST!"

Kirche blinked, but where most women might have been insulted by such an outcry, she just giggled like I said something funny, "Oh dear. So you're saving yourself for marriage? How romantic! I'll ask mother to broker an arrangement between us immediately if you'd like! Be warned, if you think a Zerbst woman is passionate now, wait until we wed."

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?!"

"Too noisy…" Tabitha spoke up.

"Look over there." Henrietta said pointing at something. We all looked forward and from a distance and saw a log cabin in the middle of the forest. Wait a minute… that's the log cabin we're supposed to find!

"So what do we do now?" asked Louise.

"What else? We go in and get the Staff of Destruction." Kirche said before we walked up to the cabin.

"But the place could be set with traps." I said.

That's when Tabitha walked up to the cabin and with a wave of her staff she sprayed a light blue over the cabin. "No traps…"

Huh… must be some kind of trap detector powder she used.

"Well, let's go in and hope she didn't use any physical ones." I shrugged.

Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, and I looked inside the window, but it was so dusty, we couldn't see anything, so we came in the log cabin through the door. We smelled rotten wood all over the place as the insides were filled with a lot of cobwebs and dust. Who would want to hide out here anyway?

"Wait…" I frowned. "This isn't right. If Fouquet was hiding out here, where are the signs? Not even the dust is disturbed."

"Well Fouquet isn't here for now right? Let's find the Staff of Destruction and get out of here!" Louise insisted.

We walked into the cabin and began rooting around. I was half–expecting some kind of booby trap to spring and kill one of us. Instead, nothing happened until Tabitha emerged from near the bed holding an ornate purple box with silver accents the size of a small trunk.

"Found it..." she spoke softly.

HUH?! She found it already?!

"Good job Tabitha!" Kirche praised.

"Something's not right…" I frowned heavily. "This was all too easy."

*BOOM!*

The roof of the cabin was torn clean off, revealing another giant golem made of dirt. I knew it was too easy…

"Hello there Gandalfr," Fouquet crowed, sitting on top of her golem's shoulder. "Rather rude to barge into a person's room is it not?"

What did she call me? Gandalfr…? What the heck is that supposed to mean?

My introspection was cut off when the golem reared back its fist and punched down at us. We ran for the door, passing through before the entire cabin got flattened underneath the golem's fist. We all landed in a heap, but Tabitha still had the box which meant we still had the Staff. Standing up, he activated my Driver.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver materialized on my belt and I flipped the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

It kept repeating the ringtone as I placed the Water Style ring on my middle left finger before shouting, "Henshin!" and placed the ring in front of the Hand Author.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

I was donned in the blue Water Style before I swapped out another ring. It worked the first time, why shouldn't it work again?

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

I soon collapsed into water and charged towards the golem to try and drench it with water so it could turn into mud so much that Fouquet wouldn't be able to control it.

I soared closer, but quite suddenly large balls of dirt began to shoot from the golem's torso to try and smash me out of the air. One lucky shot managed to hit me, causing me to splash and fall to the ground again, temporarily reforming into my normal body.

"Ow…" I groaned, as I staggered back up. "Okay, not what I had in mind."

"Hahahahaha, you fool! Did you really think I would fall for that trick twice?" Fouquet laughed.

"Then I better go to Plan B then." I said before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice. I hope this ring helps.

**EXCITE! PLEASE!**

My entire body suddenly bulged, becoming a tower of muscle and might that easily dwarfed my previous height. Standing up, I thought I heard Kirche swoon before I charged at the golem once again. It punched at me again, but this time I managed to catch the fist, causing the ground to crater beneath me. Dust flew from the cracks in the ground, but I wasn't even buckling.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAA," I bellowed, smashing my fist into the golem's causing a thunderous boom which send cracks racing up the arm and causing it to begin falling apart.

"Oh, you're so manly Darling!" Kirche swooned.

"Now's not the time Zerbst!" Louise snapped.

"HAH!" I bellowed, jumping with my powerful legs at the golem's torso and smashing it with both of my hands in an axe strike. More massive cracks spread from the impact point as bits and pieces falling to the ground.

Man, at this rate, I'm gonna be beating up this golem in no time. That was when the falling dirt suddenly stopped before rising back up into the cracks and filling the holes that I had made.

You've gotta be kidding me! All of that for nothing?!

"You'll have to do better than that." Fouquet chuckled.

"Grrr… fine then! Let's see how you like this!" I said before switching and flipping the Hand Author.

**LAND! PLEASE! DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

My muscles shrank and I was adorned in my Land Style armor. I swiftly swapped out my rings and went to work again.

**DRILL! PLEASE!**

At that point, I jumped up and dove down feet first towards the golem and spun at a very high speed, becoming a human drill in hopes that I would make a big hole in this guy and it'll crumble down for good.

The golem lashed out at me again, but my high speeds spinning allowed me to bore straight through the golem's fist and keep going towards the construct's heart. I was hoping that the core of the golem was in the torso somewhere, and by striking it I would be able to bring the whole thing down.

But as soon as I hit the core, I stopped spinning too! What the heck in this golem besides dirt?!

"Nice try!" Fouquet laughed. "But I figured you'd try something like that. So I took some precaution by placing rock around my golem's core. It's harder to control for me, just like mud, but it was worth it against a foe like you!"

No wonder why!

Next thing that happened, the golem spun around, sending me for a spin until I was sent flying towards a tree, and I hit my back hard.

"…ow…" I groaned.

"Kurogasa," Louise cried out, running over to me with Henrietta in tow.

"Are you okay?" Henrietta asked worriedly.

"Peachy…" I groaned as I tried to stand back up.

"No one does that to my Darling! Take this!" Kirche shouted, casting a flamethrower at the golem with her wand.

"Oh please…" Fouquet scoffed, raising the golem's hand to block the attack.

"It's no use…" Louise winced. "How can we beat this golem?" Louise asked.

I could only hiss as I was trying to think of something, but then… a thought came to me. What if–

"Tabitha, throw me the Staff of Destruction!" I shouted.

"Huh?" Louise asked confused.

My logic was that since the Staff was some kind of awesome magic item, maybe Henrietta, being the strongest out of us magically she might be able to use the thing and crush the golem. Then we could bring down Fouquet.

With that, Tabitha used her wind magic to send the case that held the Staff of Destruction over to us.

"No you don't! Golem, catch it!" Fouquet ordered.

A strong fighter, golems may have been, but they weren't all that fast. With Tabitha using her wind magic to guide it, the box flew through the golem's fingers and landed right in my hands. Holding it tightly, I ripped the top off expecting to see some kind of magic scepter or wand of some kind.

But what I found was… a rocket launcher?! No way!

"What the heck?" I gaped. "The Staff of Destruction is a military rocket launcher?!"

"What?" Louise asked. "Kurogasa, it's the Staff of Destruction!"

"No it's a rocket launcher! It's a weapon of war from my world!" I exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon?" Henrietta gasped.

"I'll explain later!" I said as I took the weapon in question. But as soon as I touched it, the runes on my left hand suddenly glowed. My eyes widened behind my mask as I… somehow knew how to use it. I'm not kidding. I have no clue how to use the rocket launcher. But as soon as I touched it, the runes glowed and I'm now suddenly a master at using it.

I hit the hidden latch and extended the barrel of the weapon and raised the aiming square. I gestured for the princess and Louise to get away from me because of the back blast and I took aim at the approaching golem. Once I was sure not to miss, I hit the trigger, launching an explosive rocket out the front. The aim was true and it hit the golem's torso, exploding in a fiery blast. The core exploded with the rest of it, causing the whole thing to collapse into a pile of dirt.

"There we go," I sighed, tossing the weapon to the side. It only had one shot so it didn't matter who had it anymore. "Now let's scoop up Fouquet."

But when the dust cleared, as Fouquet slowly got up to dust herself, it revealed to be none other than… Miss Longueville?!

"Miss Longueville?!" we gaped.

"Well," she coughed, shaking the dust off her cloak. She then removed her glasses and undid her hair, looking like a different person with those minor adjustments. "That didn't quite turn out the way I was expecting, but I still got what I want."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Kirche.

Fouquet smirked before waving her wand. The earth underneath the rocket launcher turned soft and sucked the weapon down. The ground next to her then shot like a geyser, landing the rocket launcher into her hands. Copying my stance, she aimed the weapon at us, causing the girls to flinch in fear.

"Thank you for teaching me how to use this weapon Gandalfr," she smirked. "My clients will be most appreciative."

"Clients," I asked confused. "Who are you working for?!"

"Hmph… wouldn't _you_ like to know?" Fouquet scoffed.

"Uh… I _do_ like to know."

"Well aren't _you_ brave," Fouquet snorted. "But sorry. They asked to remain unknown. I wouldn't even tell a dead man."

"Great…"

"It was fine stealing it, but I didn't know how to use it. I thought that someone from the Academy might know how to use it, but even _they_ don't know how to use it. I admit that it was unexpected that students would go instead of the teachers, but I thought that familiar boy who could use magic could do it. It's fascinating that you are Gandalfr, the legendary familiar who is a master of any weaponry."

So I was thought to be some legendary Familiar? Well that was food for thought. I had to keep her talking though. Maybe she'd let something about her clients slip.

"A legendary… Familiar?" Louise blinked.

"You really don't get it do you Miss Vallière?" Fouquet said. "There's only one reason why you summoned that boy."

Keep her talking. She knew something important if she considered me to be this Legendary Gandalfr.

"He uses all four elements. That should have been a clue." Fouquet continued. "The Gandalfr was the Familiar to our own Founder Brimir. He's one of four to be exact. So with that logic, that makes you a Void Mage."

Everyone gasped at her claim. "I'm… what?" Louise gasped in shock.

"So then… all those explosions…" Kirche began.

"…were not accidents." I finished. "It's just that her Void Magic is so potent, using it by any conventional means is useless."

"Correct. Were you anyone else I would have thought you were a noble scholar," Fouquet nodded. "Now, I believe we have talked enough. Goodbye Gandalfr…" she hit the trigger to the weapon.

…

…

…

…but nothing happened.

"What?" Fouquet gasped.

**BIND! PLEASE!**

Chains of stone burst from the ground and wrapped around Fouquet, pinning her and forcing her to drop the rocket launcher.

"Staff of Destruction is a good moniker," I sighed, holding the chains and the thief in place. "But you made a mistake thinking it was magic. There's nothing magical about it. It's pure technology. Think of it like a musket or a crossbow. It needs to be reloaded and it only had one shot."

"Grrr… release me this instant!" Fouquet demanded.

"Sorry lady. No can do."

Henrietta stepped forward, frowning at the thief, "Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, if that is your real name, by the name of the crown you are hereby under arrest."

All of a sudden, something caught the corner of my eye and it's coming in fast! "Everyone get down!" I shouted.

Fortunately no one questioned me and everyone ducked down to the ground. A white blur flew past before lifting up into the air. Without the high speeds, it was easy to tell that the new attacker was the Harpy Phantom turning around to try of another attack.

"Not you again…" I groaned.

_**"We meet again Mahōtsukai–yaro!"**_ Harpy Phantom shrieked. _**"Now it's time I pay you back for hurting me that time!"**_

"Oh spare me the indignation," I rolled my eyes, swapping out rings again

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

The magic circle appeared in the air and I pulled out Derf from it.

"Hey Partner, what took ya so long?! I'm itching for a fight!" Derf cried out.

"Well, the Phantom showed up so stay sharp and let's rock!" I spoke, standing up.

"You got it Partner!" Derf said before I switched elemental rings and flipped the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I soon went back to my basic states as the Harpy Phantom dove down on me, but I came prepared as I switched Derf to gun mode and fired silver bullets.

"This still feels weird." Derflinger commented. "I've never been a gun before."

"There's a first time for everything." I said, before opening the Hand Author.

**COME ON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS!**

**FLAME! SHOOTING STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

"Eat fireballs!" Derflinger shouted as he launched a volley of the flame attacks to try and strike the Harpy Phantom out of the air. Unfortunately, the Phantom dodges with unnerving agility as she began to dive down towards us again.

_**"You're gonna have to do better than that!"**_ Harpy Phantom said, before she stopped and let out a _really_ loud shriek in sound waves.

The blast tore up the ground and launched all of us away from the impact points. We all landed in heaps, grumbling in pain. I shook my head and tried pulling myself back up to try and continue the fight. However, the Harpy Phantom came down, pinning me down by my gun arm and by my chest with her feet.

_**"Hahahahaha, I have you beat now!"**_ the Harpy Phantom boasted. _**"With you out of the way, I can focus on bringing the princess to despair!"**_

"Yeah right, over my dead body!" I bellowed.

_**"That's the idea!"**_ the Phantom retorted.

The Harpy Phantom looked like she was going to gloat some more before a high pressure stream of water suddenly blasted it in the face. The force knocked butt over elbows before she crashed to the ground. I sat up and looked around, spotting Henrietta with her staff glowing with blue light, aimed at the Phantom.

"Whoa…" Derf commented.

"Princess Henrietta?" I blinked surprised.

"I may be royalty, but I am far from helpless," Henrietta smiled at me before she began collecting more water magic into her staff.

_**"You…"**_ Harpy Phantom growled looking at Henrietta, before shrieking, _**"HOW DARE YOU HARM ME?!"**_ before letting out sound waves at her, shrieking like a banshee.

"No you don't!" I shouted, switching rings before getting in front of Henrietta to protect her.

**DEFEND! PLEASE!**

A wall of fire opened up, burning the air around it and keeping the sound waves from going any farther since there was no oxygen for the sound waves to actually travel through.

_**"What?"**_ The Harpy Phantom gasped as the fire wall died down.

"Go for it!" I shouted, ducking down so the princess can do her attack.

She didn't disappoint as she launched another stream of water. The Harpy Phantom attempted to flee to the sky, but she was still clipped and it sent her crashing to the ground again.

"Good job Princess!" I praised.

"Thank you!" Henrietta smiled.

"Now it's time for the grand finale!" I said before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author.

**LUPACCHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO! LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO!**

"You're not getting away this time!" I shouted.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

My magic seal appeared before my foot ignited with magic fire. Taking my opening, I charged and began my cartwheel. I flipped through the air before coming down, striking the Harpy Phantom with my attack. Her body was engulfed in my magic seal as she screamed in pain. Riding the recoil, I flipped backwards and landed on the ground. Turning, I saw the Harpy Phantom's leg's beginning to fail.

"Now Harpy, take you final bow!" I pointed at her.

_**"This… isn't overrrrrrrrrrr!"**_ Harpy shrieked before–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

She went up like a bomb, with my magic seal looking like a final omen before it vanished as well, leaving only a blackened crater where the Phantom had been standing.

"Phwee…" I sighed as I turned to the girls.

"You did it!" Louise smiled.

"Yay, you did it! Three cheers for my Darling!" Kirche shouted happily, before running over to me, but I sidestepped. Like I said, I don't want anywhere near Kirche.

"Well," Henrietta heaved a sigh of relief. "That wraps up everything doesn't it?"

She couldn't be more wrong when–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

A huge ball of dark energy was sent my way and I took the full force of it when it exploded in front of me, "GAHHHHHH!"

"KUROGASA," The girls minus Tabitha who only looked shocked, cried out, as I rolled on the ground to them, with black smoke coming out from my armor.

"Hey Partner, you okay?!" Derf cried out.

"W–What just–" I gritted badly, trying to comprehend on what just happened.

_**"So Harpy has failed."**_ A female voice said. _**"Of course, I have to do everything myself."**_ A figure came out of hiding from behind a tree and when we looked. We saw it was another Phantom… Wait a minute… NO WAY! IT CAN'T BE!

It was another feminine Phantom, but one I knew well. Her body was shapely with white inside of her legs, blue on the sides and purple lining between them. Gold bands were around her ankles, giving the appearance of boots as her feet appeared to be. Her top half looked like a uniform top with gold shoulders, making her look even more imperial like a general. Her head was mostly encased in a purple scaled helmet with a black visor that wrapped around the edges. The bottom half of her face was visible with pink lips, enhancing her female sensuality. The obviously inhuman aspect about her, were the snakes coming out from underneath her helmet like hair. This was…"Medusa!"

"What?" The girls gasped.

"You know her?" Louise asked.

"Do I _know_ her?! She's one of the Elite Phantoms!" I gritted. This was bad. This was _really_ bad! If she's here, then Wiseman _is_ here in this world! "How are you alive Medusa?! Fueki killed you on the spot!"

_**"Fueki?"**_ asked Medusa. _**"I don't know who you mean."**_

"Quit screwing around!" I snapped before I charged at Medusa with Derf in tow. Medusa's hand flashed and she produced her scepter, the Arrogant, which clashed against my weapon. My charge was immediately halted as I stared into her visor. "Why are you still loyal to Wiseman?" I growled. "He betrayed you! Revealed he wasn't even a Phantom and stabbed you in the back! How did you survive?"

_**"As I said, I don't know who you mean."**_ Medusa said.

That doesn't make any sense! Medusa is dead! Fueki backstabbed her in the series! I _know_ he did! How is she alive here in this world?!

We pushed off one another. I was a little unbalanced I have to admit, but seeing someone you considered a fictional character and a dead one at that alive and well in the flesh was enough to put anyone off their game. Still, I couldn't explain how Medusa was acting like she didn't know what was going on with her own death. Did she block it out? Forget? Not want to deal with it so her mind pretended it didn't happen? That didn't sound like the Medusa I knew, but it had been a particularly devastating blow for her. The one she dedicated herself so completely to ended up betraying her and even killing her since he didn't need her anymore.

Wait a minute… what if it's a different Medusa like in the Magic Land movie?

The idea was ludicrous, but considering I was in a different world like Haruto found himself in, after Sorcerer's attempt to bring the world to despair, it didn't sound so goofy anymore. I could be looking at a Medusa born from someone from Halkeginia.

"If that's the case, even so, I'll _still_ stop you!" I shouted before switching rings.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A clone appeared and the clone and I did the same thing.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

At that, two more clones appeared, totaling to four including myself. My clones then took out the other elemental rings and scanned them.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

**HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

**LAND! PLEASE! DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

My copies assumed their alternate styles and took stances. It wasn't as good as Drago Time, but it would help even if only a little. The four of us ready, we charged at Medusa with the intent of bringing her down and maybe getting a better lead on who was leading the Phantoms in Wiseman's place.

_**"Do you really think that your styles will stop me?"**_ Medusa taunted as she managed to block all four of our attacks.

"Maybe, maybe not," I replied. "But let's find out!" My three clones and I backed off to gain distance from Medusa before I went first, charging at Medusa.

Medusa gave a soft sigh, like a noble lady dealing with a brute, before the snakes on her head extended and lunged at me. I had to slash wide to make them stop, but their reflexes were top notch as they avoided being cut off and soon the snakes wrapped themselves around my arms and legs, tightening them. _**"Now stay still and let me hurt you."**_

"I don't think so!" Water shouted, joining in the fray as he used a ring.

**EXTEND! PLEASE!**

His limb extended as it reached to sever the snakes holding me down. Medusa cursed and quickly drew her snakes back, avoiding the blow. It was the opportunity we needed as Hurricane dove down from above to strike at her.

**DRILL! PLEASE!**

"Eat this!" Hurricane shouted as he spun down rapidly at Medusa while adding a wind effect to his attack.

_**"Ha!"**_ Medusa snapped, launching several dark spheres from her staff at my clone. A couple of dark sphere were destroyed by Hurricane but the rest hit Hurricane dead on, and was destroyed into motes of green light.

"Kono~" Land growled before switching his Derf to gun mode and opened up the Hand Author.

**LAND! SHOOTING STRIKE! DO, DO, DON! DO, DO DON!**

He unleashed several blasts of land magic at Medusa. The Executive Phantom though seemed to take it in stride and knocked the shots out of the air with her staff.

"This is unbelievable… that Phantom is swiping away his magic like it's nothing." Louise said in disbelief as the girls looked on.

"Louise. Has any creature like this one appeared before?" asked Henrietta, concerned at the sight of the battle.

"No." Louise shook her head. "This is the first Phantom that Kurogasa is having a hard time fighting."

"Very strong…" Tabitha commented.

"Darling can still win! He always has before!" Kirche insisted.

I wish I could say the same, because right now my Land and Water clone just disappeared into motes of blue and yellow light, leaving me the only one standing thanks to Medusa launching her dark spheres at them. I stabbed Derf on the ground, panting hard as I was on one knee, leaning on Derf. Now I know how Haruto feels when he had to fight her, Phoenix, and Gremlin. The term 'out of my league' was just something I attributed to being a descriptive term. I was quickly learning though that the words could be used to describe a feeling. I literally felt like I was being toyed around with an alpha predator.

_**"What's wrong Wizard?"**_ Medusa cooed, but had a taunt tone in her voice. _**"I thought you said you were going to stop me."**_

I panted, standing up. I could feel the mana in my body draining with ever spell I used and I was getting closer to the brink.

_**"Fufufufu… look at you, you're already breaking a sweat, and I'm not. I guess you really aren't the Wizard from the old world, Wiseman thought of."**_

"What?" I gasped. No way! The Wiseman from the series was real?! He's actually here in this world?!

_**"That Wizard harnessed the power of his own Phantom, touching on infinity, whatever that means." **_Medusa shrugged. _**"But this also means you're no threat to us so I can end you right now."**_

"Not while I'm still around!" I shouted, switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

With a flaming charge, I leaped through the air to aim a Strike Wizard Kick right in Medusa's smug face.

_**"Fool!"**_ Medusa declared as her snake hair extended once again and wrapped my arms and legs, halting my Rider Kick immediately.

"Nanda–" I gasped in horror.

_**"DIE!"**_ Medusa yelled and formed a huge massive ball of dark energy before sending it way and-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

I screamed in excruciating pain, "AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"

The girls minus Tabitha screamed in horror, "KUROGASA!" As the smoke cleared, I immediately went to civilian form. My body was battered, bloodied, and burned badly and my clothes were ripped, while smoke came out of me, and I was barely conscious. Medusa then pinned me to a tree with my back on it, away from the girls using her snake hair.

_**"You should have known better than to fight your betters, amateur."**_ Medusa chuckled, her visor beginning to glow. One of the snakes then wrapped around my neck and tightened, trying to choke me and the girls saw this as they tried to run over to me, but–

*BOOM!*

Medusa sent a mini dark sphere on the ground in front of them that was just enough to stop them. _**"Move any closer and your precious Wizard dies."**_ Medusa threatened. _**"But then again, I'm killing him either way."**_

"You…!" Louise trembled.

_**"Now then…"**_ Medusa said, before turning back to me. _**"Are there any last words before I kill you here and now?"**_ She asked. I couldn't say anything as the grip on my neck got tighter and I was losing breath. Was this really it? I'm going to die like this? In the end she said, _**"Hmph. Very well. I guess you can die in silence then. I honestly expected more from you, but alas, it wasn't meant to be."**_

Her visor glowed, charging up for her last attack. I can't believe it's going to end like this. I'm so sorry Louise…

_**"And now I bid you adieu."**_

**EXPLOSION! NOW!**

HUH?!

A glowing light gold magic circle appeared, similar to mine, but with phases of the moon instead of gemstones in it and the eye shapes in the center were different. The circle had appeared right behind Medusa before exploding with the force of dynamite, sending the Phantom away with a scream of pain. I dropped to the ground, coughing and struggling to get my breath back.

When I was able to get my head slightly off the ground, my eyes widened at who I saw. "Bakana… S–Shiroi Mahō… tsukai…?" I wheezed.

He was white, for lack of a better term. Almost every inch of his suit was white. The torso was white with silver ring holsters stretched across his sides, each link holding a ring. His shoulders sported a white mantle with gold lining that ran down his back. His legs were covered with more white and gold fabric, giving the appearance of a robe like a classical wizard would wear. His boots and gloves were pure black, contrasting heavily with his suit. Wrapped around his waist was a WizarDriver like mine, but the hand was outlined in red rather than yellow. Finally, the majority of his helmet was concealed in white plating, like a hood. His face was an amber gemstone with silver eyepieces, but his were slanted, making them look a little more eerie in my eyes.

The White Wizard, Kamen Rider Wiseman.

"Who's that?" Louise gasped.

"There's another Wizard like Kurogasa?" Henrietta gasped too.

Medusa coughed and got up, glaring at the White Wizard hatefully, "You: The pretender!"

The pretender… Did that mean Medusa knew about the previous White Wizard's identity? I would have maybe asked, but the man in question apparently didn't have the patience for it. He activated his WizarDriver and swiped his hand over it again.

**EXPLOSION! NOW!**

The light gold magic circle appeared near Medusa again and exploded in front of her face, sending her flying a few feet away. She landed in a smoking heap again, but she recovered quickly. She lashed out with more dark spheres, all of them aimed at the White Wizard.

The White Wizard calmly switched rings and flipped his Hand Author twice.

**BARRIER! NOW!**

The magic seal appeared again, this time blocking the attacks which exploded harmlessly against it. Medusa cursed as she stood up, ready to keep fighting. _**"Stay out of my way!"**_ Medusa shrieked, charging at him. White Wizard switched rings again and flipped the Hand Author twice.

**YES! KICK STRIKE! UNDERSTAND?**

The light gold magic circle appeared below his feet and light energy glowed around it before he jumped up and aimed at Medusa, but the latter saw and moved back, making White Wizard, but the kick was strong to send Medusa to still stumble back.

_**"Grrr… I'll be back!"**_ Medusa growled before staggering off while running.

"Hey wait!" Louise shouted, but it was no use. The White Wizard looked at me in silence for a moment as I looked at him stunned. I mean, I'm seeing the White Wizard in front of me and I don't know if I should fear for my life or not!

The White Wizard then got something from his pocket before throwing it, landing in front of me. It was a ring, but I didn't know what it was. White Wizard then took out another ring and slipped it on his finger before flipping his Hand Author twice.

**TELEPORT! NOW!**

He was then gone in a flash of light, leaving as quickly as he came but with everyone even more confused than before.

After that, I blacked out.

* * *

_Medusa staggered forward as she tried to recover herself from the attack the White Wizard made. "_**That pretender will pay for what he did to me!"**_ Medusa seethed as she finally arrived at a cave not far from the forest._

**"Medusa…"**_ Wiseman's voice echoed._

**"Lord Wiseman!"**_ Medusa gasped, hearing the voice of her beloved lord. Looking, she saw him emerge from the forest, prompting her to curtsey like a noblewoman would to royalty, even if she wasn't wearing much of a gown. _**"I… I… I didn't know you would be here!"**

**"That doesn't matter."**_ Wiseman said. _**"Have you done what I asked?"**

_Medusa stood up,_ **"I met this new mahōtsukai. It is not the one who you warned us about. He could not even merge with his Phantom."**

**"I see."**

**"But that pretender showed up and he saved him before I could kill him."** _Medusa added._

_Wiseman frowned, but otherwise showed no reaction,_**"So, is it Fueki or this world's counterpart that's left to be discerned?"**

**"That I do not know, but one of these days, when I meet that pretender he will pay."**

**"In time," **_Wiseman nodded._** "Now let us return and organize out next move."**

**"Yes Wiseman."** _Medusa bowed._

* * *

Ow… that hurt…

The world was blurry and I felt pain all over. I mean I'd understand if fights like these were all choreographed, having special effects, and that they're not supposed to actually hurt you but man, this was on a whole different level.

"Oooga…" I groaned. I slowly opened my eyes and my vision cleared slowly. I was in a bed, but… when I looked to both sides I noticed that it wasn't Louise's bed at all. It was a really _huge_ bed for one and the room itself was big too. Almost like if it was fit for a king or queen. I looked around more to see that Louise and Henrietta slept at my bedside along with Kirche unsurprisingly. Tabitha was sleeping on a chair at a corner of the room. I then slowly tried to get up, but– "Ergh!"

Ok, bad idea.

I was able to recall what had happened before I got knocked out. We found Fouquet, captured her, got attacked by the Harpy Phantom, blew her up, got hit by Medusa, got my butt kicked, then got saved by the White Wizard. Great day for me…

I then heard Louise yawn before he slowly opened her eyes and looked at me tiredly. That changed instantly when her eyes widened, "Kurogasa!"

"Hey…" I smiled weakly. Oh that seemed to hurt too. "Is everyone okay?"

"You idiot, we were more worried about you!" Louise snapped as she got a bit teary eyed. And of course, her yelling stirred the other girls to wake up.

"Darling, you're awake!"

"Mr. Kururugi!"

"…alright?"

"I've… been better…" I said weakly as I tried to sit up, but I cringed in pain again, closing one eye while I held my chest, panting irregularly, "Ergh!"

"Don't move you idiot!" Louise snapped, looking like she wanted to swat my head, but refrained. "The healers said you suffered extensive wounds from the beating you took!"

"That's the understatement of the century…" I groaned.

"I'll say!" Derflinger said, as he was leaning on the wall. "That Phantom thing beat the living _daylights_ out of ya!"

"Yeah no kidding…" I said. "What happened to Fouquet?"

"Jailed, fortunately," Henrietta answered. "Your chains held through the entire fight."

"That's good."

"And also, you might want to have this." Henrietta said as she presented a ring to me and it was... the Special Ring!

"Is that the–"

"Yes. This was the ring that the White Wizard left behind." Henrietta nodded. "What is it?" She asked as she gently placed it on my hand to take.

"This is the Special Ring. One of my attack rings used for my Dragon Form Rings." I answered.

Louise asked, "Dragon Form?"

"Remember when I told you that I have eight Styles?" I asked. Louise nodded. "Well, the other four elementals rings are an upgraded form of my basic Styles. This ring is used for when I go into Flame Dragon Style."

"Is it any different than your regular ruby armor?" asked Henrietta.

"Much more powerful," I answered. "The only problem left would be getting my Phantom, Dragon, to listen to me and have him lend his power. He's a stubborn one, I can tell you that much."

"Others…" Tabitha said suddenly.

"You mean my other Style rings?" I asked. Tabitha nodded and I answered, "Yeah, there's one for each of my elements."

"So you're meaning there is, a Water Dragon, Hurricane Dragon, and Land Dragon Style Ring?" Louise asked.

"Pretty much," I replied. "But I don't know where they are. When I got here to this world, my Dragon and Special Rings were gone."

"Special Rings?" asked Henrietta.

I blinked, but then nodded, "Right, right I didn't mention those. They're special rings which partner with my Dragon Forms. They can allow me to cast powerful elemental spells or even manifest pieces of Dragon's body on my own as a weapon: Tail, Head, Claws, and Wings."

"And that ring that white Wizard gave you is one of those?" Kirche asked.

"Yes. This one in particular is the ring that can summon out the pieces of Dragon's body, depending on the Style I'm in and is also a spell ring too. It's two spells in one ring actually. Well at least for _this_ ring."

"Well in any case, I'm glad that you're okay." Henrietta smiled. "I thought for sure that Phantom killed you."

"Me too…" I winced. For the first time in my life, I feared for it. I was _this _close to dying and if it wasn't for the White Wizard, I wouldn't be here.

What confused me was the White Wizard himself. It seemed that as far as Medusa knew, he and Wiseman were two different people. Did this mean that he was really on my side or was he playing the field to try and help himself to something? If they were separate beings, then who was playing Wiseman here? How did he know about Haruto Souma?

Then there was the rocket launcher.

How the heck did it come to this world? Why was Tristain Academy guarding it? And most important of all… how did Fouquet know that Louise was a Void mage and that I was some legendary Familiar that can master any weaponry?

Even though she was a secretary, she didn't strike me as the kind of lady who did her research unless it was for her next heist. So I had to keep wondering, just how the heck did she figure I was this Gandalfr thing and Louise was a Void Mage.

I'll have to talk with Headmaster Osmond later on, when we get back.

* * *

A few days went by and after recovering from my injuries, the four of us went back to the Academy with the rocket launcher in tow. We were in Osmond's office and that he was happy to know that it was back but sad when he found out that Longueville was Fouquet the whole time.

And then…

"There's one last thing I have to talk to you about." I said.

"Oh? What would that be?" he asked.

I decided to be blunt, "When we were fighting, Fouquet called me something. She called me a Gandalfr. From what she said, it's supposedly some legendary familiar to this Brimir guy you all worship. Care to shed any light on that?"

Osmond frowned heavily and suddenly got serious. "So you know…"

"Yep, and I know about the little fact that Louise is a Void Mage." I added.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Louise asked.

Osmond seemed to slump in his seat slightly, his usual mischief gone, "It's no secret that the power of the Void is considered holy and a foundation of our religion. First off, would anyone have believed it if we outright said that we had rediscovered it in Ms. Vallière?"

"Well, the Church of Romalia would investigate wouldn't it?"

"Yes." Osmond nodded. "Leaving out that there is no outward sign of Void magic and the risk of blasphemy in trying to imitate it, what would happen if it was discovered Miss Vallière was indeed a Void Mage?"

"Is Void magic really that powerful?" I asked.

"You have no idea…" Osmond said darkly and ominously.

I was getting Osmond's message. The Void was incredibly powerful on its own as it was. Being the center of Halkeginia's religion, it would cause a storm of people wanting to either take advantage of Louise for the political clout alone she'd have as such, or use her as a figurehead for their own ambitions, stating it as 'divine will' that it be carried through. She being just a teen, would be swamped with the people playing tug of war with her and with how explosive she could be, that would make the situation a whole lot worse.

"That is why her magic must be kept secret at _all_ cost. No matter what…" Osmond said. "If word ever gets out, I fear that it would possibly cause the end of the world as we know it."

"Headmaster," Louise gasped. "Surely that's–!"

"No, he's got a point." I frowned. "Think about it. If word gets out that Void has returned, everyone will be trying to use you for their political gains. People backing the royal family would try to get you into their hands so that the current regime would be uncontested. The military would want your power to create a super weapon to defeat their enemies or even try to conquer the other nations. People against Henrietta and her mother would want to use you to overthrow the royalty for their own gains. Heck, even a bunch of rebellious common folk would try to convince you to overthrow the current system since it often mistreats them so badly. And that's just in Tristain. Imagine what the factions within the church or nonbelievers would do."

"T–That's…" Louise began, but slumped seeing my point.

"And yet all the while, I find this not surprising seeing how explosive your attitude can be. No offense."

Louise was too shocked to be offended. Lucky me…

"There's also one more thing." I said turning to Osmond. "It's about the Staff of Destruction. It's actually a rocket launcher, a weapon from my world. How did it get here?"

Osmond raised an eyebrow, "Oh? I cannot tell you much about it. I found the Staff during my youth. I was fighting a dragon you see, but myself, and our men were being routed. Then out of the blue, this… explosive projectile hit the beast and exploded, killing it with ease I had never thought possible. I looked and saw a strange man dressed in a green uniform holding a second staff. He was wounded and I couldn't understand a word he said." Osmond sighed. "He perished not long after and he had an unused Staff with him. So we had him buried at the local cemetery and sealed the Staff here at the Academy where it couldn't be mishandled."

"A strange man in a green uniform huh…?" I said. "How long ago was this?"

"I'd say about thirty to forty years ago."

30 to 40 years… He was most likely a Vietnam War soldier by _those_ standards. It was the only war I could think of that a soldier would be outfitted with rocket launchers. Still, that was the assumption that time was linear between this one and mine.

"I see."

"I'm sorry if I wasn't much help on that subject."

"No it's okay." I waved off.

"Now then, you two better get ready for the Ball of Frigg for your celebration."

Wait… ball? What ball?

* * *

Okay, from what Louise told me the Ball of Frigg is usually held after the Familiar Exhibition Festival as a sort of closing event. However, due to the incident of the Harpy Phantom attacking Princess Henrietta, it had to be postponed until further noticed.

Still, it was a good thing that it was postponed, because after talking with Headmaster Osmond, the coats that Ms. Quinn made finally came in, in the form of a big package. I could've used the Dress up Ring I suppose, but these coats had style.

Ms. Quinn had really outdone herself with making these coats. So for tonight, I'm going with the Flame Style coat.

For my Flame Style coat, it was crimson red in color and the pattern on the coat looked fiery. On my left side of the coat was my magic seal, done in lighter red to give it contrast, breaking up the darker crimson red. The lines itself were red and everything else was filled in with white, so if people want to read what it says on the seal, they'd have no problem.

The back of the coat is what I liked the most. The back of the coat had the magic seal there enlarged. The lines were bright enough to break the crimson red and they had a fiery effect to it. As for the tail part of the coat, it was designed so that it looked tattered and burned. It complimented with the fire motif very well. Quinn was definitely great at what she did.

"Hey, not bad Partner, you're looking sharp!" Derf praised as I finished putting on a white dress shirt, black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a red bow tie before putting on the coat.

"Well, if people keep assuming I'm a noble then might as well dress the part." I shrugged.

"Yeah, just be careful around Kirche. She'll make a bee line for ya if she sees you in that." Derf snickered.

I shuddered heavily at the thought. That's the only downside of this coat, most likely Kirche will drag to her for an 'after party' session, if you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, I admit Kirche's a hot girl. But the way she flaunts her beauty around is what turns me off completely.

My ideal girl was one who didn't rely on her good looks to let her coast through life. I wanted a girl who could stand up and take charge, not sit back being bored and eating bonbons all day. Kirche… she seemed more the type to do that sort of thing. And the other things I look for, for my ideal girl would be a girl that would naturally be sweet, kind, funny, and doing things selflessly for others. Maybe I _was_ a romantic, but I had my standards! And Kirche obviously doesn't live up to my standards!

"Well, I better get going Derf. Wish me luck."

"Have fun Partner!" Derf said before I went out Louise's room.

* * *

The Ball was predictably held in the ballroom in which all of the students were expected to attend. I was allowed to go since I was considered an unranked noble, which meant unless Henrietta or her mother said otherwise; I was to be treated like one. The doormen didn't even blink as they allowed me in, but didn't announce me since I didn't have a title.

Inside it looked like something out of a Victorian era scene. Ballroom gowns and to me out of date suits were worn by everyone. It was certainly colorful, but I could taste the high class snobbery in the air. No one ate or drank the snacks unless they were at the tables so no one could pay attention to them. The dancers were in the center, going through obviously rehearsed and traditional motions. Everyone was dancing through the same steps to the music.

I looked around and unsurprisingly noticed Kirche surrounded by male students. And it's also not surprising that she was wearing something inappropriate and it had the guys drool.

I swear if she was showing off any more of her… feature, she may as well have gone topless.

Tabitha was sitting at a table, oddly enough with a roast boar next to her. She still had that stoic look on her face, but she was calmly slicing layers of the meat off onto her plate. From the looks of the serving staff tending to her, she had gotten through a good chunk of the thing and still wasn't slowing down. Considering a good third of the beast was already consumed, I was a little shocked too.

I then saw Guiche at a corner and there was a line of ladies, ready and waiting to be wooed by the Casanova. However, his girlfriend Montmorency would have none of it as she pinched his ear and dragged him away from the girls. They actually sorta remind me of Miroku and Sango from the InuYasha series.

Finally I noticed Louise just walking among some of the other students mingling among themselves. In her ballroom gown, she actually looked quite pretty. Still, I thought it was a little cold of them since they weren't talking too much with her. Then again, she seemed not to keen on talking herself. She looked more like she was looking for someone.

I think it's probably me she's looking for, so I decided to walk over to her. "Hey Louise," I greeted. That was when Louise turned to see me and she… blushed and was awestruck by me? Okay, that was probably my ego but it was nice to dream. But was I really that handsome? Well, then again, it's probably because of what I'm wearing tonight.

"H–Hi…" Louise stuttered. "I–I was looking for you."

"You were?" I asked.

"Yes." Louise said shyly. "Would you… like to dance with me?" Dang, for a tsundere girl, she's actually pretty cute. Wait, what am I saying?!

"W–Well, I'm something of an amateur." I began.

"That's fine. You just have to follow my lead." Louise said. She took my hand, rather roughly, and dragged me out to the dance floor. I felt visions of humiliation sneaking into my brain at this point.

"A–Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

"Just relax." Louise hissed. "You've been helping me out, so it's only fair that I pay you back."

Louise did take the lead, taking one of my hands in hers while placing the other on her waist. She then began stepping in time with the music and I did my best to keep up with her. We managed to at least look graceful for the most part.

"Well… this isn't so bad." I commented.

"Glad you like it." Louise nodded.

We continued to dance for a while, but as we danced, I saw on Louise's face that she had something on her mind. "Is something wrong Louise?"

"Huh?" Louise asked, snapping out of it.

"You look like you have something on your mind. Is about what Osmond said?"

"Oh," Louise mumbled. "I guess. I finally learn that I have real magic, that I'm not just a zero, but… I can't tell anyone. Not the students, not the other teachers, not even… my family."

"Louise…"

"Now that I know I have this power, I'm now scared to _use_ it… I don't know what to do…"

"Well, Brimir did it." I tried to reassure her. "I'm sure you can too."

"But what if I can't? What if I'm not worthy to cast such magic?" Louise doubted.

"Then don't."

"Huh?" Louise asked confused, looking at me.

"You don't have to be great to do great things. Don't let anyone tell you what they expect or should expect you to do. Be yourself. Even the smallest act of anything can make a big impact later on in the future."

"Kurogasa…"

"And I'll make sure to protect you from those who would want to use you. A man once said: "Even in a world full only with enemies, there will always be someone you must protect." In this case, that someone is you Louise and I'll do everything to protect you and your hope."

Louise blinked, but then turned bright pink like her hair as she tried to look away, "Then… then I guess for now I'll be in your care," she then cast her gaze sharply at me. "That is, until I can properly harness my magic!"

Heh… like I said, classical tsundere personality… You gotta love it.

"Oh Darling~"

Oh no…

Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Kirche watching Louise and I with an impish grin on her lips. I broke into a cold sweat, knowing that she was going to do something highly arousing and embarrassing at the same time.

"Ooooh, look at you Darling! You look so handsome in that outfit!" Kirche cooed as she suddenly grabbed my arm and trapped it between her… assets.

"What are you doing Zerbst?!" Louise screeched. "Get your hands, off of my Familiar!"

"Ooooh, but I was hoping for a dance with the man of the hour." Kirche pouted. "As a woman I certainly can't let you hog him all night Vallière."

"_You're_ the one that's going to be hogging him and I'm not letting you do that!" Louise snapped before grabbing my other arm and pulled.

"Oh but I must insist." Kirche purred, tugging on my arm again. "After all, I can at least give him a proper reward for all of his brave duties. A much _better_ reward than a simple little dance…"

"Let go of him Zerbst!" Louise shouted, pulling me to her side.

"No I won't!" Kirche frowned, pulling me back to _her_.

And it was pretty much a tug–of–war with me as the rope.

"Let go of him Zerbst!"

"No, _you_ let go!"

"He's not yours!"

"Says who?!"

"Just let go!"

"No I won't!"

"STOP PULLING MY ARMS!"

* * *

I _told _you there was going to be two surprises! Yep! Medusa and the White Wizard appeared! But they aren't exactly the same people who they are. And what are the White Wizard's intentions! We'll find out soon when he appears again sometime. So until then, see ya later!


	6. Louise's Part-Time Job

Hey there everyone, what's up? It's Fenikkusmaru, here to bring to you another chapter of Wizard of Zero! Since it was all crazy last chapter, let's mellow down some with this chapter, but boy are you guys gonna be in for a surprise at the end, so let's do this!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

_It was late at night in town. Most of the town was asleep and some had businesses that open late at night, mainly places where people can eat, drink, and be merry all night. However, something was happening in the far side of town that was anything, BUT merry._

_"Guh… guh… guh…" a woman in commoner dress grunted as purple cracks raced over her body, illuminating the alley she lay it, a jewel necklace in pieces just out of her reach._

**"All too easy,"**_ Medusa sniffed, almost admiring her work._

_"No… my necklace…" The woman moaned in despair._

**"That's right. Fall into despair. Give birth to a new Phantom!"**_ Medusa rejoiced_.

_The woman gave another grunt before she collapsed. Her body then flashed purple before in exploded in black ash. Left behind, was a green form of a new Phantom which gave off a groan of relief, stretching as it got to its knees._

**"Finally… I thought I'd **_**never**_** get out of that woman's body." **_The new Phantom sighed._

**"Welcome to the world."**_ Medusa nodded. _**"Are you prepared for your first mission?"**

**"Already?"**_ the Phantom whined._

**"I know it's sudden, but Wiseman demands more Phantoms to be born." **_Medusa said._

_The new Phantom sighed, _**"Well if **_**he**_** of all people insists then I suppose I should. Where do you want me to go?"**

**"You don't really have to go anywhere."**_ Medusa said. _**"I sense two more Gates that are not far from here in this town. I want you to seek them and bring both of them into despair."**

**"That sounds fun. Two for one." **_the new Phantom nodded._** "Okay, who are they and where can I find them?"**

**"They work at a pub called the Dancing Fairy Inn. You will know who they are when you see them and sense their magical potential."**

_The Phantom nodded, _**"Alright then. I'm off!" **_with that, gossamer wings rose from the Phantoms back before it took off into the sky, leaving green sparkles in its path._

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical_ _Wizard_ _Rings:_ _It contains_ _the power of the four_ _elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of_ _Despair, a familiar with_ _modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the_ _Jewel of Hope: Kamen_ _Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 6: Louise's Part–Time Job

It's been a several days since my run in with Medusa and let me tell ya, things were not dandy during my first couple days. During those days, I was barely able to walk and Louise had to help me walk wherever I needed to go. Fortunately when Louise wasn't around to do it Siesta brightly and enthusiastically was there to help me with anything that I needed. From bandages to the offered bedpan she was there in case I needed it. Thankfully I didn't, but the way she offered with that smile on her face set me on edge a little. Still, the thought was appreciated. Of course there were also a few instances that Kirche wanted to help… and her idea of help wasn't what I had in mind. I don't think I'll elaborate on those. I'll just leave it with the fact that her efforts at rehabilitation involved her cleavage and a lot of lace.

On the bright side, Tabitha kept her in check.

I'm now able to walk around, but I still have a white bandage wrapped around my head. Today I was wearing the Water Style coat. Like the Flame Style coat, on my left side of the coat was my magic seal, done in bright blue to give it contrast, breaking up the darker navy blue. The lines itself were blue and everything else was filled in with write.

The back of the coat had the magic seal there enlarged. The lines there were bright enough to break the navy blue and I actually like that the enlarged seal had a crystal blue design to it, making it almost look like ice. It was true too, since Water Dragon style would use ice for attacks and such. And also, when light shines on the coat, it would actually have a ripple effect to it as if the water design was actually moving like real water.

My tailor deserves an award for this. Magical tailoring rocked!

Right now, Louise and I were at the castle meeting with Princess Henrietta in the throne room. The main reason why? She's being promoted to the rank of Chevalier.

From what Louise was willing to tell me, Chevalier was a title which was considered knightly. It couldn't be bought like some titles in the kingdom could be. Instead, it could only be earned by exceptional service to the kingdom. Having the title proved you weren't someone to mess with and it was a badge of honor that everyone respected in all of the countries in Halkeginia. Although it was the lowest level of noble title, it still wasn't one to be disregarded on account of how one could get it.

Still, all in all, I'm happy for her and at least she won't be regarded as Louise the Zero anymore… hopefully.

"You may rise up, Louise Françoise." Henrietta smiled before Louise got up from kneeling on one knee. "Congratulations Louise, you should be proud."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Louise beamed with obvious pride. She was obviously proud to be receiving the title. I also knew she wouldn't abuse it like some nobles no doubt would for extra status and respect. "Being granted the title of Chevalier is a great honor for one such as me."

"You earned it after what you've done to help capture Fouquet." Henrietta said before turning to me. "And I like to thank you too Mr. Kururugi."

"Oh please… just Kurogasa." I blushed rubbing the back of my head.

"Sir Kurogasa then," Henrietta smiled, making me fight not to blush. This girl was just radiant when she did that! "You not only helped against Fouquet, but you protected us from those Phantoms at great personal cost to yourself. For that, I cannot thank you enough."

"I only did what I could Your Highness." I said. "It's my duty as a Kamen Rider to not only fight for justice but to also fight to protect the freedom of humanity."

Henrietta's smile only grew, "If only more followed your example." her smile then faded slightly. "However, I had more in mind in inviting the both of you here besides bestowing Louise Francoise's Chevalier title."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

Henrietta nodded and turned to a small desk next to her throne which held numerous rolls of parchment. She picked one up and approached us, "Recently, I have been receiving many reports about nobles who have begun abusing their power and taking advantage of the commoners. I would have sent officers to investigate, but my advisors have been most stubborn and have been impeding my efforts. They insist no noble would do such a thing, being inherently good. I would like that believe that but…"

"You have to believe evidence you see and not hearsay." I offered, not wanting to outright say a number of nobles liked to bask in their power at the cost of others. I could only imagine how bad the adults were when I saw examples in the likes of Guiche's stunts.

"Exactly," Henrietta nodded.

"So what would you want us to do?" Louise asked.

"I want you two to go undercover as commoners to expose this." Henrietta said. Well, that shouldn't be too hard. I'm at natural since I'm already a commoner. Well, a commoner that can do magic, but who cares about technicalities?

"This is an order for a moneylender to give you enough funds to procure lodgings and food for the duration of the mission." Henrietta gave Louise the scroll. "Please do your best to find leads on nobles who are abusing their authority for personal gain. My father did not allow this during his reign and I will not allow it during mine."

"Of course, Your Highness," Louise bowed.

"You have our word." I nodded with a smile before winking, "We'll snuff them out before they even know what hit them."

"Oh you," Henrietta giggled. "Thank you so much, both of you."

"Y–You don't have to worry about a thing." Louise stuttered as she looked irritated about me flirting with the Princess. I can't help it though. Henrietta is more than just good looks! She's sweet, caring, and can be crafty too! "We'll start right away!" Louise insisted before she began trying to usher me out of the room. "Rest assured we'll be successful!"

"O–Oi, what are you doing? I can walk on my own you know!" I said.

"The do it and stop flirting with Her Highness!" Louise hissed quietly at me.

I groaned before saying, "Hai, hai, wakatta!"

"What was that?!"

"Yes, yes, I get it…" I translated. "Geez, I need to teach you my language so you can understand me…" I grumbled.

* * *

So with that, Louise and I headed out into town using the Machine Winger and once we got there, I hid it so the townsfolk wouldn't see it. I was dressed in one of my old outfits, the one I came to Halkeginia in. My usual outfit was too flashy and would've given me away easily. At least with what I wore now I looked foreign but still a regular guy.

As for Louise, well… how should I say this? She's… still too flashy to be a commoner. Let's leave it at that. What she wore was frilly, well–made, and stood out like a sore thumb. We were off to a great start, weren't we?

"You _so_ don't look like a commoner with that dress on." I commented.

"What are you talking about? Don't _all_ commoners wear something like this?" Louise asked confused.

"Sure, if they can afford it that is…" I deadpanned. "Oh wait, that's right. THEY CAN'T! YOU STICK OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB!"

"It's the latest fashion!" Louise insisted. "It's functional and tasteful! It's perfect!"

"No, it's completely opposite!" I said. "We're gonna get caught red-handed if you dress like that." I then took out a ring from my pocket and gave it to Louise. "Here, use this."

"What is it?" Louise asked, taking it.

"You'll see. Put it on your finger and place it over my Hand Author buckle." I said. Louise looked at me in suspicion, but nonetheless did as she was told. She placed the ring on her left middle finger and placed the hand over my Hand Author buckle.

**DRESS UP! PLEASE!**

My magic flashed over Louise's form, transforming her outfit from one of a rich aristocratic girl into that of a more common looking girl with plain colored clothes which didn't look all that impressive, trendy, or fashionable.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Louise shrieked looking over herself. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

"Congratulations, you're blending in." I grinned.

"You call this blending in?!"

"Yes." I deadpanned.

Oh Louise looked like she wanted to blast me, but we were already threatening to make a scene so she put it aside. Instead, she gave me her cold should and turned her back on me. That was actually better than getting attacked with magic.

"Well, let's go mingle," I shrugged, taking Louise's hand and heading into town. "We've got to meet the moneylender and find a decent inn to stay at before we can start."

But when she held my hand...

*SQUEEZE!*

"Ah! Itetetetetetete," She squeezed my hand too hard. Yep. This is going to be a _long_ mission…

So with that, we went to the moneylender and we used the voucher to get ourselves 1000 gold coins, which was enough to use for the week. Just as long as Louise doesn't spend on something that's so expensive.

"That's too little!" Louise gaped. "We can't afford anything with this!"

"Uh… by the commoner standards, that's _more_ than enough." I pointed out.

"Are you kidding?!" Louise snapped. "We'll only be able to afford worthless junk and awful accommodations!"

"That's the idea…"

Louise shrieked, "What?!"

"Look, in order to catch the nobles abusing their authority, we have to blend into society with the commoners. At the very least, we'll be able to get food and lodging to get by the day."

"What does that have to do with it?" asked Louise.

I sighed, "Louise, we can't blend in if you use all your money to spend it on lacy things. Everyone would peg us as right people or nobles and they would never trust us with anything. They'd consider us just as bad as the nobles abusing them."

"Mmmm…" Louise pouted.

"And did you even think about what Henrietta would say if she found out you were acting like this?" I asked. Louise flinched, finally getting the message I was trying to tell her. Hopefully that meant that there was hope for her yet. "Knowing that you're best friends with Henrietta, you'd do anything for her sake, even put aside your noble pride for this sake of this mission, am I right?"

"Well… if I have to…" Louise huffed. I knew for a fact that Louise was dedicated to Henrietta. Hopefully she'd be able to keep her pride on the sideline for this mission.

I then said, "If you _have_ to? I think… no, I _know_ that you _need_ to put aside your pride for this mission."

"Ok, ok, I get it already!" Louise shouted.

"Good. Then let's see if we can get ourselves situated," I nodded.

That was when we heard, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Oh great…" I groaned.

"Is it a Phantom?" Louise gasped.

"I get the feeling it is." I said, before placing my Driver on Ring on my finger and placed it in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

Louise and I ran in the direction of the scream. As we ran, I slipped on one of my Style Rings, ready to change in case it was a Phantom. With how much magic existed in Halkeginia, sometimes it might be hard to tell. We got closer to the source and there were people running away from whatever was scaring them. When we were close enough, we saw a young woman crab walking backwards from… a Phantom!

The Phantom was female–shaped, but was adorned in a green bodysuit adorned in darker green swirls. On top of the body were leaves arranged on the shoulders, elbows, and knees like natural armor. The face was concealed in green hair, only a glowing yellow eye being visible through the tresses. On its back were gossamer wings which trailed like a cape. Finally, the collarbone had the gold emblem of the Phantoms with a green stone inside of it.

The girl the Phantom was attacking was a commoner girl wearing a vibrant green dress which was rather low–cut and showed… a lot of skin. She had long dark hair tied back with a kerchief and also had an apron on the front. Oddly, she had blue eyes and for the life of me I would swear she looked familiar.

But in any case, I still have to save her from the Alseid Phantom. Again, I don't know how these Phantom names come to me, but I just know them. I flipped the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

I flipped the visor down on my Style Ring before shouting, "Henshin!" and placed the ring in front of the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I ran through my magic seal, becoming covered in my Flame Style armor. Taking my shot, I leaped through the air and smashed into the Phantom with a double kick. It screamed and fell back, crashing into the ground as I landed on my feet, facing off against the Phantom. With the time it took to recover, I swapped out my rings.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

A small circle appeared and I stuck my hand in it before pulling out Derf.

"Hey, partner, what's up?" Derf asked.

"We got another Phantom." I answered.

"What? We got another one of those things? Man, can't it be something different?" Derf groaned.

"I wish." I said as the Alseid Phantom got up and looked surprised.

_**"Kisama… the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai!"**_The Alseid Phantom sneered.

"That's me." I nodded. "Now, shall we? It's showtime!"

_**"I don't have time for you!"**_ The Alseid Phantom said before throwing Ghoul Stones on the ground to my dismay. _**"Ghouls, take care of this fool!"**_

The stones emitted dark smoke before turning into the Phantoms themselves, wielding their spears in hand.

"Great… just what I need." I groaned before turning to the woman in question. "Run! Get out of here!"

Louise managed to get the girl's attention and they both began to run from the scene. Whatever people were around gawking at the sight did the same, running away in droves. It let me square off against the Phantom and her Ghouls without having to worry about civilians. "Alright you Ghouls, let's dance!" I said before charging at them.

The Ghouls stayed with their usual tactic: mob the target. I kicked the first of them away before striking the pair behind it, knocking both down and giving me the space to select my further targets.

"Give me some space will ya?!" I snapped before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**BIG! PLEASE!**

I pushed my hand through the resulting magic circle, allowing me to swat them and make them fly before they tumbled to the ground. I wasted no time as I switched Derf to gun mode and opened up the Hand Author before scanning my Style ring.

**FLAME! SHOOTING STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I fired off my attack, blasting the Ghouls and causing them to explode. As the flames cleared, I saw that the Phantom had escaped during the confusion. How typical…

"Mattaku…" I sighed. I might as well better have my familiars track her down. Taking out the four rings, I scanned each of them.

**GARUDA! PLEASE!**

**UNICORN! PLEASE!**

**KRAKEN! PLEASE!**

**GOLEM! PLEASE!**

My PlaMonsters manifested and I brought them to life. Once they were manifested I gave them their orders, sending them in the cardinal directions to search the town.

"Kurogasa," A voice shouted. I turned to see Louise running towards me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Where's the young lady that was the Gate?"

"She's gone." Louise answered. "As soon as I led her away, she ran off. She didn't even thank a noble such as me, for leading her away!"

I sighed shook my head before removing my rings, taking my armor away, "Remember we're supposed, to be commoners for this mission?"

"Yes, I know that. Don't worry." Louise waved off.

"That's when I worry the most." I deadpanned with a sweat drop.

"Aw c'mon Partner cheer up! What's the worst thing that could happen?" Derf asked.

* * *

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SPENT ALL OUR MONEY ON THE CASINO!" I shouted.

I left her alone for only a few minutes. I told her to just sit and wait for me to check out some inns for their price range. It was a half–hour at most! I came back to find Louise looking upset and her purse empty. All of our gold was gone!

"Well excuse _me_ for wanting to help out by trying to double our money!" Louise snapped.

"And look where _that_ got you! We're out of money since your gambling skills are zero like your magic!" I said, making Louise cringe in anger. "Don't you give me that look young lady; it's your fault we're in this mess!"

Louise gave me a snappy look as she said, "Well… we could've used that money and stayed at a nicer inn!"

"Ugh… I don't even know what it's gonna take to get through that thick skull of yours…" I groaned with a facepalm. This was just great. Now we're _really_ in a big mess and we can't ask Henrietta for more money because it'd be too inconvenient for her and would also mean in her eyes that we've already failed the mission. After a moment of silence I said, "I can't believe I'm gonna say this but thanks to you Louise, we're gonna have to pick a corner on a street… and beg…"

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!" Louise shrieked. "NO! I AM THE DAUGHTER OF A DUKE! I WILL NOT BE REDUCED TO BEGGING LIKE– HMPH!"

She was cut off by my hand over her mouth, "After what you did, you don't get to complain."

*CHOMP!*

"ITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I cried out in pain after Louise bit my hand, and BOY can she bite, "LEGGO! LEGGO! LEGGO! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!" But she wouldn't have any of it as she pressed her teeth deeper into my skin, "OW! SERIOUSLY! LET GO! THAT HURTS!"

"THEN DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A SMALL CHILD!" Louise snapped.

All of a sudden, a voice shouted, "Très bien!"

Huh?

Louise and I turned to see a man admiring the drama between us. By 'man' though I use the term loosely considering how the guy was dressed.

He was wearing white boots and way too short blue shorts with a pink tank-top which left his abs exposed. And it didn't help that he had a lot of masculine muscles as well as hair on his limbs and chest. He had short dark hair along with a moustache and beard. And to top it all off, he was wearing lipstick and mascara. I tell ya, he makes the Donut Shop owner from the Wizard series look straight! He was tolerable but seeing _this_ guy was just _way_ too much! Overall, I don't judge people since people have their own preferences for things, and this guy made _his_ preferences well known.

"Uh…" I gulped. What could I possibly say to this guy? His image alone stunned me and Louise into stillness.

"You two seem to be in a spot of trouble!" He said moving towards us, while _prancing_, I repeat, _prancing_ towards us making poses along the way. "As you can see, I am not a suspicious person!"

I call BS!

"I happen to own an inn!" he cheered, coming to a stop in a feminine pose in front of us. "I would be glad to lend you two a room."

"You would?" Louise gasped, hope sparkling in her eyes.

"You'd really do that?" I gaped.

"Of course," He giggled, badly. "But, I need only one little favor in return!"

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

* * *

Ok, so this actually wasn't bad. The effeminate man known as Scarron was a manager of the inn called the Dancing Fairy Inn. Scarron was more than happy to give us a room to sleep in. The only thing he wanted in return was for us to work for room and board, which was surprisingly reasonable. The inn itself was very comforting. It smelled of good comfort food, there was a warm fireplace, and best of all, there was the waitresses.

Oh, the waitresses…

I'm not gonna lie, Scarron's got some of the cutest girls in the inn. There were nine in total and each of them wore a short–skirted, bare back, and shoulder outfit that almost made them look like fairies, hence the name of the inn.

When Scarron lined them up to introduce Louise and I, I couldn't help but blush at the one maid smack in the middle, she's, in my opinion, the cutest one.

She wore a green version of the uniform, meaning unattached sleeves, frilly skirt, and a brassiere which showed off a lot of cleavage. She had long brown hair which framed her face down to past her shoulders and reached down to her knees. Her long hair parted at the back, looking like two tails of soft brown tresses. I suspected she usually kept her hair tied up if it behaved that way. Her eyes matched her hair, looking almost like doe eyes. Like I said, she's the cutest girl in my opinion.

"Attention, my dear fairies!" Scarron said.

"Yes, Master Scarron!" The maids said in unison.

"Nonononononononono, no," Scarron said all giddy. "When we're at work, you have to call me "Mi Mademoiselle"!"

…What?

Obviously Scarron didn't seem to consider himself as a man. Rather, he saw himself with the soul of a woman in the body of a man. It kinda freaked me out with how some of his feminine movements made him look creepy, but since the girls seemed to trust and admire him so much he couldn't have been a bad guy.

"Yes Mi Mademoiselle!" The maids said.

"Ohh… très bien…" Scarron sighed longingly, making me shudder. "Now then, my fairies, we have two new people that will be staying at the Dancing Fairy Inn." He then turned to Louise and I. "Go ahead, introduce yourselves."

"U–U–U–Um… m–my name is Louise!" My little master introduced, but I wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or angry. Maybe she was a little of both since she was dressed in a white version of the uniform which fit her perfectly. She _did_ look adorable though.

I struggled to keep my cool in the face of so many cute girls paying eager attention to me, "My name's Kurogasa. I'm not from this country so please take care of me."

The maids looked at each other whispering to one another and they looked… interested about me. Oh, I think I'm gonna like this place… minus Scarron with his effeminate personality.

*STOMP!*

I cringed in pain when Louise secretly stepped on my foot. Of course she had to be such a buzzkill.

It took all of my will to not scream out in pain. A number of the girls seemed to notice and start giggling over it. Fortunately, Scarron decided to continue his announcements so no one called us out on it.

"And to celebrate their welcome, we are having our annual Tip Race!" Scarron announced, making the maids cheer.

Louise and I looked confused, "A Tip Race?"

Scarron pranced over to a curtained display and pulled a rope. The curtains opened, revealing a mannequin dressed in a black version of the uniform. It had been meticulously cared for and looked pristine. Somehow, I thought it looked gorgeous, making the other dresses look plain. I could picture it already on the girls, making them each look more gorgeous than before…

*STOMP!*

I cringed in pain again, "Erk!"

Dang it Louise, stop being such a buzzkill.

"The Tip Race is an annual race the fairies compete in!" Scarron explained. "It goes on for one week and whoever has the most money in tips gets to wear this family heirloom for one day. This uniform was cast with a special charm and anyone wearing it will practically get a king's ransom!"

"Yay!" the waitresses cheered.

I looked at Scarron in disbelief. Can this black version of the uniform _really_ give whoever wears it a king's ransom? I find that hard to believe.

"So with that being said, I want you all work hard!" Scarron said.

"Yes Mi Mademoiselle!" The maids said.

"And you too, Louise!"

"U–Uh, y–yes," Louise stuttered.

"And as for you Kurogasa, you can work at the kitchen with my daughter Jessica." Scarron said, pointing to the kitchen.

I blinked at that, "Daughter?" Scarron had a daughter? Or was she adopted? I turned to where she pointed and saw… wait a minute! That's the young lady that was attacked by the Alseid Phantom!

"Hi there, my name's Jessica!" She chirped, before she noticed Louise and gasped, "Hey, aren't you–"

"Oh, so _now_ you notice me?" Louise grumbled.

"W–Well, in my defense I was a little freaked out." Jessica chuckled.

"Okay, everyone, settle down! We got work to do! Fairies, Jessica, show them the ropes!"

"You got it/Yes Mi Mademoiselle!" Jessica and the maids said.

* * *

The maids immediately set to work, scurrying about to set the tables and make sure everything was just perfect for the customers to arrive. I would've been content to watch, but Jessica hooked my by the back of my shirt and pulled me towards the kitchens. "Come on new guy!" she grinned over her shoulder. "You're with me in the kitchens. You're my new gopher! Hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty because that's what's going to happen!"

"Yes ma'am." I nodded, not wanting to blow the job before I started it. I could ogle the waitresses later when I had the chance. At least Louise couldn't blow me up without blowing her cover. So long as I stayed away from her stomping feet I was safe.

"Oh, you're already obedient? I like that!" Jessica teased, pulling me into the back.

"Well, I've worked part–time jobs before so I'm used to it." I shrugged.

"Really… well it's lucky us to get an experienced guy!" Jessica nodded, finally reaching the kitchen. It was a humble enough space, but had long counters, a cast iron stove, a fireplace for cooking large amounts of stew in an iron pot, and even a sink that had its own pump to pour in water. We wouldn't have to go outside and get buckets for cleaning. Despite being low-tech, a qualified chef could do a lot.

"So what exactly am I doing?" I asked, rolling up my sleeves.

"Basically, I'll be sending you around to get menial tasks done while I'm busy cooking for the customers," Jessica explained. "Things like grabbing more ingredients, tossing out trash, restocking wine from the cellar, and washing dishes. That kind of thing,"

"That I can do," I nodded.

"Good. Well, get to it. Time's a wasting." Jessica said gesturing her hands to have me shoo away.

She set me to work right away. She had me run to the pantry and help her get the ingredients out she would need. Although they weren't open yet, she still needed to prepare the ingredients for the meals she cooked so they wouldn't take too long and the customers wouldn't get frustrated. I imagined she had a little bit of leeway with the girls flirting with the customers, but even that could get old when one was hungry. So I got to work, pulling out a shopping list of food stuff, reporting how much was left inside, and in some cases help Jessica chop it up in the case of some of the vegetables but only under Jessica's supervision.

"Well, well, well, aren't _you_ the cook." Jessica said impressed.

"Thanks. I used to live by myself, so I have some experience in cooking." I said. Well… if instant meals actually counted then yeah.

"Well maybe I can expand that recipe book of yours." Jessica grinned, working on her own food. "So what brings you and Louise our direction anyway? From the way Dad said it, you two came down on hard times."

"Well, I was travelling from home when I met up with Louise. Don't ask me how we ended up travelling together. I still don't know how to explain it," I shrugged. "We decided to stop my town but we… well, she to be exact, gambled and lost. She gambled with pretty much everything we had so it kind of left us with nothing when she lost."

"Oooooh… that sounds bad…" Jessica winced.

"Well, we got lucky when your dad found us since we were getting ready to beg," I sighed. "Your dad, tastes aside, has got some awesome timing."

"That's Daddy for ya!" Jessica chirped. "He's the kindest soul I've ever known. I'm glad he and my Mama got together."

So she _isn't_ adopted! Thank goodness for that…

It still begged the question what kind of woman could get the interest of a man like Scarron.

"But anyways, I just hope Louise would be okay with this…" I said worriedly.

"Ah, she'll be fine," Jessica waved off my concern. "The new girls always have it a little rough, but they get used to it. That's especially when they have the others and Daddy looking out for them. She may have a little trouble, but we'll cover her."

"That's nice but…" I winced. "Louise is a little… sheltered and… sensitive, about her figure. All the girls here are a bit more developed than she is and the customers you guys must get are going to notice and…"

"Don't worry. My daddy will make sure that the customers don't get too handsy."

"Here's hoping," I nodded.

* * *

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUCHING?!"

Oh no… it begins…

The night began and soon men weary from a day at work were coming in to rest their bones, fill their stomachs, and flirt with a cute girl or two. They didn't look like sleazy thugs to me for the most part, but honest working fellows who were out for a night of fun. The fairies were in their element as they poured drinks and chatted up. From the sounds of it, the girls were actually quite smart since they were able to keep up with what the men were talking about be in politics, other towns, economy, or what have you.

Louise was giving it her best, although her face was red and she looked like she might have snapped at any moment. The customers seemed to enjoy her though, loli as she was compared to the other girls. She poured wine well enough, although one or two seemed disappointed with her small bust. They could tell she was new though and were giving her the benefit of the doubt for the time being.

And then one grabbed her butt when Scarron wasn't looking.

Oh, and it gets worse than that. Next thing that happened was the grabber got spanked continuously with her horse whip.

I was sure we were going to get fired right then and there. Scarron soon leaped in, fake–chiding Louise that she was doing it all wrong and proceeded to try and 'comfort' her poor victim. The man promptly forgot all about what Louise did and tried to get Scarron to let him go. The rest of the patrons all broke out laughing at the guy, finding it the funniest thing they ever saw in a while.

"See? Daddy has things in hand," Jessica smiled knowingly. "Although Louise might need some more work than I first thought."

"I'll try to talk to her," I groaned, rubbing my face. "Here's hoping she doesn't whip me too."

"Ah, she's not in so much trouble since that guy broke the rules," Jessica patted my shoulder. "It's strictly look but don't touch here. So that guy was going to get punished anyway."

"I'm really sorry about this…" I sighed.

"No it's perfectly fine." Jessica waved off. "New girls always have troubles dealing with this job the first few days. That goes double if they used to be nobles."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"What? You didn't know? Most of the fairies here are daughters of nobles." Jessica said. "Being a noble isn't all cakes and tea parties. Some of them are pretty scummy. These girls were going to be used in backroom bargains to bear children for old guys, were about to be married to some right awful people, or were just downright mistreated by their parents simply because they were born second, third, or Founder forbid fourth. They weren't wanted or desperately needed to get away. Sadly, living among commoners wasn't as easy as they thought so they ran out of cash and had nothing. Fortunately, Daddy just seems to know when a girl needs help and he comes prancing in."

"Wow…" I said looking at Scarron. "For a lively guy, he's a saint."

"Biggest heart ever," Jessica winked. "We all pegged Louise the moment we saw her. So don't worry too much. We all know it's tough to have such a lifestyle change. Just help her keep her cool and she can get used to it a little faster."

"I'll try." I said.

* * *

"I can't believe I've been reduced to this!" screeched Louise as she paced back and forth in our room. The day was done and all the fairies had gone to their private rooms for the night Scarron had been kind enough to give us the attic to sleep in. I was sitting on a chair polishing my rings as I watched Louise complain. Seriously, did this girl not realize the meaning of the word undercover? Guess she really didn't think things through about what it meant to be a spy. She was just so used to the comforts of a noble. Also, her pride overrode any form of common sense she would have.

"That's enough Louise!" I sighed tiredly. "Ever since this whole mission started you have constantly risked our cover. Now that we're integrated, you're risking it even more since everyone here has already pegged you and maybe me as nobles."

"But look at this room! And look at the bed!"

"At least we have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in." I argued.

"But it's just so–!"

"Louise," I spoke in a stern voice as I gave her a look. She shut up and turned to me. "Right now you're pretending to be a commoner so you have to act like one and be grateful that we got a place to sleep at night at all. You did manage to lose all our money."

"Nnnnn," Louise hissed, but she knew I had her dead to rights in that regard. "Fine, but what did you mean we were discovered? How can that be? The other girls and that Scarron man accepted us easily enough!"

"That's easy," I replied. "Jessica told me that most the girls who work here are former nobles."

Louise blinked at that, "Excuse me?"

"It's true."

Louise blinked for a moment before she exploded, almost literally with how red her face had gotten, "WHAAAAAAT?! How can that be?! They act so shameless and improper! There is no way they can be of noble birth!"

"They can," I replied. "You see, each of those girls have a bad past, usually being mistreated in some way that no one would stand for. They couldn't do anything about it since their parents had all the power and money. So they left to get away from it. Of course, since they had no practical skills they fell on hard times until Scarron managed to save them."

"Run away? Why? What could be so bad in their homes?" asked Louise, looking thoroughly confused.

"Well, wouldn't you have done that if you continued seeing no use in your magic?" I asked, causing Louise to flinch. "Let me paint a few examples. Surely you know there are noble lines out there, who don't have children of their own and the last heirs are perhaps getting on in years. Aged to the point if they want an heir they are willing to pay for one of a lower–standing noble, especially if the one chosen is a healthy, young, and busty girl?"

"That…" Louise gaped.

"Or perhaps they are part of an arranged marriage they don't want." I continued. "But the problem is that the man mistreats them or they have fallen in love with another man. They can't stand their new husbands out of mistreatment or heartbreak so they leave to get away from it."

"And then perhaps they have been born second, third or fourth so they can't really look forward to really advancing in life," I finished. "So they leave to make their own fortunes rather than be used as bargaining chips their parents and eldest siblings can cash in on."

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Louise said in disbelief.

"Kidding, I am not." I said.

"Still, how can I be expected to live like this?" she demanded.

I sighed and then asked, "Louise, have you ever seen a play?"

"I've seen plenty of them."

"Then pretend it's like a play." I continued. "Pretend that you're playing a part. I know there's no script but you should at least improvise." I rubbed my temples and mumbled, "If we had Siesta here, it'd be so much easier…" I then added, "And remember how important this is to the princess. She's putting her faith in the both of us so you should swallow your pride for her sake. She's trusting, us with this. You don't want to disappoint her, do you?"

"No…" Louise mumbled.

"Well, try to put up with it. I know you don't like it, but this is too important," I sighed. "We're in the perfect place to hear about corrupt nobility. These guys will talk about stuff which makes them angry and that includes the nobility. Everyone has pegged you as a noble girl, but one that has run away from home and is adjusting to a new life so you fit in perfectly here. So just take it day by day, listen to what the other girls and Scarron have to say, and keep an ear out for everything the customers say."

Louise thought about this for a while before sighing, "…Fine…"

"Good. Also, that girl I met. Jessica. She's a Gate. So it's lucky that we found her. Though, that just means we need to keep an eye on her lest that Phantom comes looking for her."

"How can she be a Gate though?" asked Louise. "She's a commoner."

"Siesta was a gate and she's a commoner," I retorted. "Maybe she has a noble in her ancestry. Nobles aren't exactly pious people and a few I bet liked to have a woman on the side."

"Mmmmm…" Louise pouted in thought.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get some sleep." I yawned before getting a blanket and pillow that Scarron lent me to use so I can sleep on the floor.

"Well, I guess we should turn in," Louise agreed. "It's another long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Exactly," I nodded, laying back. "Good night Louise."

"Good night…" Louise said.

* * *

_Later on that night…_

_"Ooooh, what am I saying? I can't get a good night sleep…" Louise mumbled._

_Louise was feeling incredibly nervous about what she was doing. It went against everything she was raised to act like. She was flashing her chest, legs, and even her thighs in ways that would do Kirche of all people proud. Still, it was for the sake of finding corrupt nobility, as much as Louise was surprised to hear of such a thing. She was likewise raised to believe that nobility had a responsibility to act befitting of their status and for the good of the country. It seemed other nobles didn't believe in that, but instead believed their titles allowed them to do whatever they wanted._

_"Are nobles really that bad…?" Louise said to herself._

_"No…" Kurogasa moaned._

_"Huh?" Louise said confused as she rolled over on her to see Kurogasa. He was sleeping, but... he kept rolling around and was moaning. And his face looked… sad and was crying? _

_"Mom… Dad… Don't go… Don't die… no…" Kurogasa moaned._

_"Kurogasa?" Louise asked, watching her Familiar thrash about._

_"No… don't go… don't die…! Mom, Dad!" Kurogasa continued calling out._

_"Kurogasa!" Louise cried, hopping out of bed to begin shaking her Familiar. "Kurogasa, wake up!"_

* * *

I shot up awake with a cry of shock and dismay as I sat up straight. I was panting heavily, my heart beated rapidly; ice cold sweat fell from my face, and was overcome with exhaustion. _'That dream again,' _I sighed to myself, wiping my face.

"K–Kurogasa…?" I heard Louise. I blinked and looked to my side where Louise was kneeling on the floor next to me, looking more worried than I had ever seen her before.

"Louise…"

"Are you okay?" Louise asked worriedly.

"I…" I began. "Was I… talking in my sleep?"

"Yes." Louise nodded. "Kurogasa, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine… just a bad dream that's all…" I sighed.

"Kurogasa, you were crying. It had to be something bad." Louise insisted.

I looked at her for a while before saying, "I guess there's no avoiding it huh?"

"Not now," Louise nodded. "Now what is wrong? Please tell me."

I was silent for a while before saying, "I… had a dream… of my parents dying right in front of me…"

Louise flinched, "Oh Kurogasa. Are they really…?"

I nodded sadly.

Louise asked, "How?"

"They…" I began, but… I really couldn't get myself to say it. "I don't know if I should really tell you…"

"It's okay," Louise nodded, oddly sympathetic to me. "I… I know this isn't the kind of thing you can just talk about. I… know someone who lost their parents too. He doesn't talk about it much either."

"I see…" I said. Then all of a sudden, Louise… hugged me?

"Uh…?" I blinked.

"Sometimes I need a hug when something bad happens," Louise whispered. "That's something nobles and commoners both deserve from me."

"Louise…" I muttered before I slowly wrapped my arms around her. I'll admit, it feels… nice.

"When you need to talk about this, I'll always listen." Louie whispered to me.

"Hmmm… thanks Louise…" I said before we broke the hug and looked at each other. Louise smiled gently at me. Say what you like about her, but she could be a real sweetheart when she didn't have to worry about someone making fun of her.

"Now, go get some sleep. You need it and so do I." Louise said.

"Right," I nodded. "Good night."

* * *

The place was soon in full swing again as the customers poured in and the girls did their jobs, flirting and flaunting the whole way. Louise was still mortified by the whole experience, but she was still trying her best not to explode. I mean, after what happened that night, I think she's mellowed down a bit.

"Hey sweetie, why don't you stay in my lap for a while?"

"GRRRRRR!"

Well, except for the odd comment like that. Stupid lolicons… I really don't understand what people like him love about lolis other than the fact that they have small chests.

Fortunately, Scarron was there to keep things from getting out of hand. The Inn truly had a look but don't touch policy. The men were allowed to flirt and look at the girls as much as they liked, but they were never allowed to touch. If they tried, Scarron was all over them saying he would gladly take the girl's place since it was his duty as the boss. Frankly, I think the man was hoping that one of the customers would one day take him up on the offer.

But then again, seeing that how Jessica was here in the world thanks to hooking up with a woman… never mind. Bottom line is I just really don't get Scarron with his antics despite his saintly quality.

Moving onto other matters, I managed to get to know more about the maid I had a crush on. Her name was Jeanne and I learned that she was a former noble herself.

She had been one of the examples Jessica told me about. Her family was a little down on their luck and she was a second child. One day a lord from a higher–ranked family who was getting on in years needed an heir but his wife was unable to conceive one. He offered Jeanne's family a huge sum of money to allow him to sleep with her despite the massive age gap so he could impregnate her. From what Jessica said, the man was frankly a disgusting old pervert and Jeanne couldn't stand him or his grabby hands. So taking everything she could carry of value, she ran and sold the goods to support herself. Sadly, she didn't have much money sense and wasted a lot of it trying to maintain her lifestyle. She got thrown out of her inn and Scarron found her, giving her a new home and a family she loved.

One might consider it rude to tell me a thing on Jessica's part, but Jeanne had gotten over it and Jessica was a massive chatterbox. She could tell I was interested in Jeanne and was just bursting at the seams to tell me the story.

"So Kurogasa… do you really have a thing for Jeanne?" Jessica teased.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I scratched the back of my neck, "Eh heh heh heh. Is it that obvious?"

"I could tell the moment when you first came in." Jessica chuckled.

"I guess I really _am_ obvious." I chuckled back.

"Yup," Jessica grinned before this odd grin came over her face. Leaning in like a conspirator, she whispered to me, "You want me to help introduce you to her?"

Now my cheeks were _really_ heating up with excitement. "Y–You'd do that?"

"Oh sure," Jessica grinned. "Matchmaking is one of my specialties! I've helped pair up lots of past waitresses to some of the men that come through here. I've become the godmother to so many little ones it's insane!"

"Oh wow…" I said dreamily swaying side–to–side a bit.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes."

Was this my big chance made real?

"Hey Jeanne, you got a minute?" Jessica called out. I snapped out of my thoughts when Jessica said that. Geez, can't I at least prepare myself?

Jeanne looked up from where she was collecting plates to have washed. Nodding, she came over with the plates, "Yes Jessica. What is it?"

"Oh I just thought I wanna introduce ya to the chore guy over here." Jessica grinned impishly.

Jeanne glanced past Jessica, looking at me. I admit I was a blushing and trying not to look like a goof as I washed dishes. I could hear both girls begin to giggle as Jeanne replied, "Oh, really?"

"Yep, his name's Kurogasa and he's, kinda head over heels for ya."

Jeanne giggled again and looking out of the corner of my eye, her cheeks began turning pink. Funny, she never blushed when she talked with the customers. Of course I was turning beet red. Curse my inexperience with relationships!

"Well then," Jeanne smiled. "Bring home over so we can say hello!"

"You got it. Oh Kurogasa~" Jessica sang.

I flinched at that, "U–Uh, yeah?" I stuttered.

"Come over here! Jeanne wants to say hello!" Jessica giggled, waving me over.

Gulping, I dried my hands and approached the pair, feeling awkward all of a sudden. Jeanne was leaning over the counter which Jessica would pass food to the waitresses. She was leaning on her elbows, giving me a nice view of her cleavage. Crap, why did I have to notice that? It made me feeling more awkward! "H–Hello."

"Hello there," Jeanne smiled gently, waving with her fingers. "My name's Jeanne."

"I–I'm Kurogasa, it's nice to meet ya." I stuttered. Dang it, if only Koji were here, he'd help me out. He was always such a ladies' man and he'd have ladies swoon over him in no time flat.

"I know. You introduced yourself when you and Louise first came," Jeanne giggled, making me blush harder. "Jessica says you wanted to meet me?"

"Uh… yeah, I guess you could say that."

"And I heard you're head over heels for me too." Jeanne giggled. "Love at first sight?"

"M–M–M–Maybe," I stuttered. Oh come on! I could fight Phantoms without fear, but when it came to a girl I was interested in I couldn't keep myself; from freaking out!

Jeanne giggled again as she said, "You know, you look kinda cute when you blush like that."

"A–Ah, thanks," I grinned weakly. Oh I knew I was failing already! She was probably used to way better–looking and confident guys laying down their best moves to get her attention! "You look pretty nice all the time though; especially when you're on the job."

Jeanne blushed pink at that, "Oh thank you." She said while shyly looking away! Oh gosh, that look, screams adorable! It's on par with Henrietta's when she heard my name the first time!

"Maybe I should leave you two alone?" Jessica grinned.

"Eh?" I blinked.

"Kurogasa~~" I heard Louise growl. Uh–oh…

"Oh dear, Busted," Jeanne giggled, eyeing Louise who appeared next to her, a terrifying aura surrounding her.

"What… are you doing?" Louise growled.

"Uh… getting to know one of our coworkers well?" I laughed sheepishly with a sweat drop.

"You're… flirting…" Louise frowned.

"Oh don't worry Louise," Jeanne smiled, hiding her giggles behind her hand. "I won't take your big brother away. All I ask is some time for myself; too."

I heard Louise pop a vessel at that.

"YOU BIG, BAD, DOG!" Louise shrieked before pulling out her wand and–

*BOOM!*

I blacked out.

* * *

I returned to consciousness with aches in my body. It took me a moment to remember before I groaned. I had finally got a chance to talk to Jeanne and then Louise came charging in and blew me up because she got jealous again. How was I going to get to know Jeanne if Louise kept getting in the way?

"Oh, you're awake." A voice said. I looked around and saw Jessica sitting next to my bedside.

"Yeah… I am…" I groaned as I sat on the bed and rubbed my head. "Ow… that hurt. What happened?"

"Louise got a little grumpy with you and Jeanne getting along," Jessica grinned.

"Thought so," I sighed. "Oh that girl is going to kill me one of these days." It was a good thing everyone already pegged Louise as a runaway noble so her using magic didn't blow our cover. It still wasn't funny for me though.

"You know…"

"Huh?"

"I also noticed one thing when you fainted." She grinned impishly as she held up… my Flame Style Ring?!

"That gemstone fellow who helped save me was wearing one when he fought that monster." Jessica spoke. "Funny how you wear the same kind of rings the man who saved me did. Louise was also in his company as well."

"U–Uh–Uh… well…" I stuttered. Crap, my cover's blown!

"You know, I never would've pegged you as a noble too." Jessica set my ring down. "So what's your story? Trying to run away from a bad marriage too? Want to strike out on your own?"

"It's… kinda complicated." I sweat dropped.

"Ooh, I like complicated!" Jessica grinned. "Come on. I just gotta know now!"

Not the answer I was looking for!

"I don't think you should know." I said.

"Oh c'mon please?" Jessica whined.

"No means no,"

"Pleeeeeease Kurogasa? I'll make it worth your while," she teased the edge of her blouse.

That's when I came to realize one thing: SHE'S JUST AS BAD AS KIRCHE!

"Ah, don't we have work to do? You know, busy night and all that?" I tried to escape.

"Oh, Jeanne and Daddy have the kitchen covered. So that means you and I are on break." Jessica grinned.

This was bad… really _really_ bad! I gulped! Okay, time to lie, "I don't have much of a story. I was just traveling and ended up here in Tristain. I met Louise and she stuck to me like glue."

"Pfft… that's a lie." Jessica scoffed.

HOLY COW! HOW DID SHE KNOW THAT?!

"So come clean. What's your story? What brought you out here? How can you do such awesome magic? I've never even seen nobles around here do that," Jessica pressed, grinning darkly.

"Um…" I gulped. Then all of a sudden, noise from downstairs suddenly ceased in pure, total, utter, silence.

Jessica suddenly lost her good humor, "Oh no. I was hoping he'd stay away this time."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked.

"I'll explain once we get there." Jessica said seriously before getting off the bed and out of the door. What the heck's going on?

Jessica and I headed down the inn proper to see what was happening. The patrons had all suddenly disappeared and the girls were timidly waiting at the sides of the room. The only patrons left were a bunch of pompous looking guys with sneers on their faces. Leading them was an overweight guy with thinning red hair and a thing handlebar moustache. All of them were dressed in frilly and expensive clothes, easily marking them as nobles. Scarron was obviously nervous as he set the men down at a bunch of tables, the girls quickly removing half–finished meals and drinks so the tables would be clear.

"Turenne…" Jessica hissed.

That's the guy Ms. Quinn was talking about?

"Isn't he some kind of revenue agent or something?" I asked, trying to put a name to what I heard Ms. Quinn complain about.

"Yes," Jessica nodded. "His job is supposed to be making sure everyone pays their taxes for the royalty. What he does instead is treat the town like his own personal piggybank. He overcharges us on our taxes if he doesn't like us or gives his friends breaks and overcharges other people so no one notices. We can't even borrow money for extra costs since he just adds a ridiculous amount of interest so we can't ever stop paying him."

"Man… this guy's a bastard."

"That's not the most unforgivable thing he did." Jessica growled.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked. Jessica was hesitant for a moment, and I looked really worried. "What is it, Jessica?"

"You won't believe this, but… on some days, whenever we couldn't pay Turenne's taxes, he'd… he'd…"

"What? What is it?" I pried.

Jessica turned away, the most venomous scowl I had ever seen anyone sport, "He and his men like to take… favors from the girls here. The worst was when he took one right upstairs to use like some toy and forced the rest of us to stay here. They took turns." Her teeth clenched so hard I almost thought she'd break one. "That's why we work so hard to make our profits. It happened once before and that girl ran away. We swore it wouldn't ever happen again."

"That pig…" I snarled.

"He's really interested in Jeanne too." Jessica warned me. "It's why I want you and her to hit it off. If you marry her and take her away, he can't touch her."

"You want me to m–marry her?" I gawked. Okay, I can probably take her away from this place, but marry her? I'm not ready to settle down just yet!

"What?" Jessica blinked. "You're around, what? 18? 19? That's the perfect marriage age."

I blushed despite the situation, but then I remembered that despite being magical Halkeginia was still kind of medieval in its lifestyles. Lifespans likely weren't as long as they were in my home world so marrying young would be considered a smart move. That meant more kids and more help around the house and bloodlines. To them, it made sense but to me it was just crazy.

"Um… I'm… actually 17…"

"That's even better!" Jessica grinned. "Just a little courtship and Jeanne will be putty in your hands! A same age marriage is so rare some seasons."

"I'm not actually ready to settle down just yet." I sweat dropped.

"They all say that, but I'm rarely wrong!" Jessica grinned, but then turned serious. "But no guy will want to be near her if Turenne keeps harassing her."

"Oh, I know _one_ thing. He's not getting near her, anytime soon." I said serious too before we looked back to Turenne who was demanding some service.

The girls looked nervous, obviously not wanting to be the one to serve the man. Who knew what he'd ask for? To my shock, Louise stepped forward with a tray and a bottle of wine with glasses. She looked unafraid, obviously unknowing about Turenne's reputation. In fact, I think she was hoping for a big tip to help her in the tip race. That or she realized the target of our investigation and was hoping to get the man to admit more of his indiscretions.

"Oh Louise you brave girl." Jessica winced.

"Louise, what are you doing?" I hissed to myself.

Turenne blinked as he noticed Louise walking up with the wine. He gave her the once over and snorted, "Since when did you let boys start working here?" he asked Scarron rudely.

Louise stuttered, "B–B–B–Boy?!"

Turenne eyed her more but then laughed, "Oh wait, she's not a boy! She's got a flat chest!"

"Ehehehehehe…" Louise faked laughed before, "QUIT SCREWING AROUND!

*BAM!*

She smacked Turenne with the tray. Good for her.

The fat pig went down like a ton of bricks, obviously stunned at being attacked at all. His own men, one skinny–looking guy in particular, all struggled not to laugh at the scene even if they got up to help. The girls all looked like they were about to have heart attacks at the sight.

Scarron freaked out at the sight as he screamed out, "Oh nooooooooooooooooooooo!"

"Ha!" I laughed. Well, we were going to pin down Turenne for his actions. I may as well bust him now since we caught him abusing his authority to get special service from businesses. That alone will get him Henrietta's attention. Once we got people to confirm his other abuses, we could bust him.

Turenne soon got up and yelled, "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO ME!"

That's when Scarron got in front of Louise, "P–Please, forgive her, she's only to new here!" Scarron begged.

"Oh?" Turune snorted. His eyes lit up with piggish greed. "You want me to forgive? Fine, give me and my men a girl for the night and we'll call it even."

"Uh…" Scarron gulped.

Okay, that was enough!

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

"Finally!" Derflinger cried as I pulled him out in gun form. Jessica gaped as I lifted my weapon and fired off several bullets. The bullets flew through the air and I focused on my targets, the staffs Turenne and his men held to no doubt cast magic. The bullets moved to my mental command, shooting the staffs out of the men's hands, destroying them in the process.

The men grew pale as they turned to look at me, the girls and Scarron looking in shock.

"Sorry Turenne, those girls are not your toys anymore!" I shouted.

Turenne gaped, "Wh–Wh–What?!" but then Louise drew her own wand on him while producing the scroll the princess gave us in case we discovered nobles abusing their power.

"Turenne," she frowned. "By the order of her Royal Highness Henrietta de Tristain you are hereby detained under suspicion of dereliction of your noble duties and abuse of your authority. You will be unable to return to your duties until a full investigation of your activities has been conducted!"

I had never seen someone turn to such a pure shade of white like Turenne did in my life.

"In other words, you're under arrest! You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!"

Scarron and the girls were gaping at us in pure shock. No doubt it was a surprise, seeing that their two new employees were actually agents of the princess sent out to root out corrupt nobles. I was sorry we had to lie to them, but we had to blend in somehow in order to hear where guys like Turenne were hiding out.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Louise and I turned to Turenne's men who looked just as mortified as Turenne himself did. All, except one. The skinny guy who seemed to get the most kick out of Turenne getting walloped by a kid just had his arms crossed and was laughing.

"So the free ride's over eh?" he laughed. "Ah well. The fun had to end sometime I guess. Better to get my real job done and take down the mahōtsukai while I'm at it."

"What?" Louise gasped.

"Crap!" I gritted as the skinny went into his Phantom form.

When he transformed, he was no longer skinny but strongly muscled. His torso was bare save for gold bandoliers running criss–cross across his body. His shoulders had gold plating covering them and his red arms had gold bands running down them, all six of his arms. His legs had a golden armor kilt protecting the upper portions while gold greaves protected the rest. His head had a gold pointed hat like out of Hindu mythology. Staring at me was one face which had gold teeth etched in a snarl with narrowed red gemstone eyes. On the right side of his head was a smiling golden mouth with yellow gemstone eyes and on the left side was a weeping golden mouth with blue gemstone eyes. On his waist was a gold emblem with a ruby in it, indicating he was a Phantom of a fire affinity, the Asura Phantom.

"Great… that's just great! The Alseid Phantom was bad enough! I don't need this one!" I groaned before putting on my default rings and placed one of them in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

I then flipped the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

I cried out, "Henshin!" swiping my Ring over the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

Scarron and the girls other than Louise looked shock as I stuck my left arm out, and the red magic circle appeared before going through me and donning me in my jeweled armor.

The witnesses save for Louise of course all gaped at me. Magic like mine was something they had never seen before after all. Scarron though…

"Magnifique!" he gasped in rapture, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at my suit.

"Is this really the time to gawk at my armor?!" I yelled comically.

_**"It'll be the best chance he has before I kill you!"**_ the Asura Phantom bellowed as he lunged at me. I quickly retaliated firing several silver rounds at him as he got closer. The hit him, but he used his extra arms as shields to take the blows before he tackled me. I was taken clean off my feet, but he kept running and we smashed through the back door into the back alley.

"Grrrr… fine, if that's how you wanna play then take this!" I said before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author to my right.

**EXTEND! PLEASE!**

My arm stretched out all rubbery as I tried to wrap all his arms into one bunch, but that proved to be difficult as he kept swatting my arm away. "Hold still, will ya?!" I snapped.

_**"Oh please!"**_ he snorted before each of his palms ignited with fireballs. Rearing his six arms back, he hurled the spheres at me with deadly accuracy. They struck, causing some pain but because I was in Flame Style they didn't hurt as much as they would have.

"Okay, Plan B." I said before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

The blue magic circle came down and I changed to Water Style before swapping rings again and moving the Hand Author to my left.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

My entire body collapsed into water before I went towards the Asura Phantom and encased him entirely in water, in hopes that I would at least knock it unconscious by having him drown.

It seemed to be working since I had the elemental advantage and he couldn't use his powers anymore. His thrashing began to die down, but it suddenly changed when I felt something hit me, causing me to splash off of the Asura Phantom and reform with a smoking shoulder which had a green glow residue from the attack, "What?!"

"Is this… fairy dust?" I blinked. It was honestly the first thought that hit me. I looked up and groaned, spotting a familiar green figure with glowing hands.

_**"Fancy meeting **_**you**_** here, Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai."**_

"Alseid…" I gritted.

The Asura phantom coughed as he pulled himself up to his knees, _**"What? The new chick… what are you doing here?!"**_

_**"What else? I've been ordered by Medusa to bring two Gates to despair."**_

WHAT?! There's _two_ Gates here?!

_**"Hey!" **_Asura stood up, ranting at the fairy-like Phantom. _**"My target is here! I'm getting her first! Lay off!"**_

_**"Sorry, but it's me getting the Gates first!"**_ Alseid snapped.

_'Oh please fight each other and take each other out,'_ I silently prayed.

_**"No, it's going to be me!"**_

_**"No, it's me!"**_

_'I'm not here. Just duke it out yourselves…'_ I thought, leaning back.

_**"And where do you think **_**you're**_** going?!"**_ They shouted at me. Crap…

"Well that was a brief hope," I sighed. I reacted quickly and took aim at the Alseid Phantom in the air. "Let's rumble!" I fired off several bullets at Alseid, but she was able to dodge him. Meanwhile, Asura came charging at me, when I was distracted.

*WHAM!*

He slugged me across the face by wrapping three of his hands together, sending me soaring out of the alley and into the street proper. Louise, Scarron, and the other girls came out to watch.

"Ow…" I grunted, still for a moment.

"Kurogasa!" Jeanne cried out, rushing over to me.

_**"Ahhh… there's the second Gate…"**_ Alseid said.

WHAT?!

_**"Mine!" **_Asura snarled, stomping towards Jeanne, cracking his six fists.

_**"Hmph… fine. I'll get the other girl."**_ Alseid scoffed.

Dang it no! Jessica!

I stumbled to my feet and looked to Asura. I swapped out one right and quickly used it.

**FALL! PLEASE!**

A hole immediately opened into the ground, dropping Asura into it with an enraged cry. It wouldn't hold him for long, but it would allow me to take on Alseid without distraction for a while.

"You stay away from her!" I shouted as I switched rings.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I went back into the Flame Style and switched Derf to sword mode. "Derf, let's burn this Phantom!"

"I'm with ya Partner!" Derf said, before I opened the Hand Author.

**C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS!**

**FLAME! SLASH STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

_**"Oh no, you don't!"**_ Alseid hissed, firing a shower of her green sparkles at me. I didn't hesitate and slashed wide and send waves of fire magic waves at the Phantom. It incinerated the sparkles before it went towards Alseid and it burned her, making her screech in pain. Since she's a wood fairy, she'd be weak against fire.

"Wohoo, you got her! Good job Partner!" Derf praised.

Alseid crashed to the ground in a heap, screeching as she tried to put out the flames on her body. I was a little surprised that the attack didn't bring her down considering the elemental disadvantage she had. Still, she was down and I had the opportunity to bring her down for good.

"Okay, let's try this again!" I cried, preparing to use Derf's Hand Author once again.

**FLAME! SLASH STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

"The Finale," I shouted, racing at the thrashing Phantom. I reached in close to her and slash, this time making sure the energized blade cut straight through Alseid. One, two, three slashes cut through her before I spun around with my back to her. "Now take your final bow Alseid!"

_**"YEEEEEEAAAAARRRRGGGH!"**_ Alseid screeched before–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

She exploded.

"Next!" I huffed, looking to the hole I dumped the Asura Phantom into.

_**"You…" **_Asura seethed, climbing up from the hole. _**"You're going to pay for that stunt!"**_

"Che, if only I cared!" I scoffed before charging at Asura.

Asura roared, flames erupting from his hands to form scimitars. Another bellow announced his, own charge towards me. Oh this was going to hurt…

Our swords clashed with each other and sparks flew all around. Asura then used his remaining swords to go around my defense and slash me, causing me to stumble back to try and avoid them. I was right. It did hurt.

"You okay Partner?" Derf asked.

"Yeah… peachy…" I gritted.

_**"Hahahahahahahaha, what's wrong Mahōtsukai? Can't keep up with my speed?!"**_ Asura sneered.

"Speed, right," I huffed. "I don't think it counts as speed when you're literally in all directions at once there genius." I pulled myself to my feet. Okay, I had to think of something before this guy turned me into chopped sushi.

That was when the unexpected happen. Jeanne… got in front of me?!

I looked at her shocked, "Jeanne what are you doing?!"

"Jeanne, get out of there!" Louise cried out.

_**"Ho~ what's this? The Gate is protecting the Mahōtsukai?"**_ Asura pondered.

Jeanne looked afraid, but resolute, "Just… Just stop it! Please! I'll go with you if just don't hurt anyone!"

"Jeanne, don't do it!" I shouted.

"He'll kill you!" Louise cried.

_**"Really…"**_ Asura said, looking at her. _**"I'm afraid it's not that simple. I have to find your hope and crush and crush it so that you may fall into despair." **_There was a cracking noise as his head seemed to twist on a joint, turning to the face of glee, _**"But now I know what it is! It's time to burn down this Dancing Fairy Inn!"**_

"NOOOOOO, YOU CAN'T!" Scarron cried out in despair.

_**"Watch me!"**_ the Phantom laughed, creating a large stream of flame from one of his swords which he aimed at the inn. _**"Watch it all burn to the ground!"**_

"HURRRRAGH," I roared, unwilling an unable to let the Phantom continue his attack. I tackled the Phantom, knocking him onto his back and cancelling his attack. I began punching it in the face as many times as I could. I couldn't get in many before one of his fists swatted me aside. I rolled to my feet, watching as Asura's head spin, literally.

"Here we go!" I roared, changing rings.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

The magic circle appeared below my feet and flames conjured up my kicking foot.

_**"H–Huh…?"**_ Asura looked up, stuck between two faces.

"HIYAH," I cried, striking Asura in the chest and knocking him several feet back with a scream of pain and my magic circle appearing in front of him.

"Take your final bow, Asura!" I panted.

_**"This… isn't over…!"**_ Asura panted before he managed to throw one of his flaming swords and hit the inn! He groaned one last time before falling back and exploding. I wasn't able to watch since I was running for the inn, praying I could stop the magic fire that was already starting to spread across the wood.

"NOOOOOO!" Jeanne screamed, dropping to her knees in horror. I almost missed the cracking noise, but I managed to catch it. Turning back, I cursed as I saw the purple cracks of a manifesting Phantom beginning to spread over her body.

"Shoot!" I ran to her side, scooping up Derflinger in the process. "Jeanne! Jeanne, talk to me!"

"The inn… it can't be…" Jeanne sobbed. "It's gone…"

"It's not gone yet!" I looked up at the inn and was surprised to see several stream of water already assaulting the fire coming from the girls. I had almost forgotten many of them were displaced nobles. Luckily there were Water Mages among them. Looking back to Jeanne, I took out one of my Engage Rings and slipped it onto her finger, "The inn can be saved and so can you. Just hold onto your hope!" I brought her hand to my belt.

**ENGAGE! PLEASE!**

Jeanne fell unconscious and the magic circle appeared before I jumped in.

* * *

_I dropped through the tunnel of purple energy and my magic circles before coming out into the light. Landing lightly, I looked around to see that I was standing in a garden of some kind. It was well cared for, obviously a noble's. Looking around, I saw an elaborate mansion on a hillside with a path leading to the garden I was in. Was I at Jeanne's old home when she was a noble?_

_"Big Brother, Come catch me!"_

_I turned to the source and saw a little girl, dressed to the nines in frilly noble clothes running through the garden. Running behind her was a boy who looked a few years older with the same colored eyes and hair as the girl. I could tell right away the girl was Jeanne, even if she was shorter and had shorter hair at the time. The boy must have been her brother since he had the same features and he wore fancy clothes too. I did notice their outfits weren't as… well–pressed as other noble clothes I witnessed before. Well, Jessica did say that Jeanne's family hit hard times._

_"I got you now!" the boy laughed, easily catching up to his sister and scooping up into his arms much to her amusement. "Now–"_

_*KRACK!*_

_The scene froze as the air cracked with malevolent purple energy._

_"Here we go!" I tensed._

_The cracks shattered and erupting from the void came, the form of a massive floating eye which was protected by quilted purple metal and a long lashing tail with a spiked tip on the end. It took me a moment to recognize it, but then I recalled seeing a similar creature at the Academy with the Familiars._

_"A Bugbear… Cool," I had to admit._

_The Bugbear then started shooting spikes all over the area creating more purple cracks._

_"Man, I better make it quick!" I said before switching rings. "You better listen to me _this_ time Dragon!"_

**DRAGORISE! PLEASE!**

_My magic circle lit up and the WizarDragon emerged with a roar. The Bugbear Phantom blinked at it. Trust me, you notice when an eye that big blinks. It then closed its eye of all things before firing more spikes made from its metal skin plating. Dragon roared again and took flight and shot fireballs at his opponent. Several of the fireballs hit, knocking the Phantom back but others missed, causing more cracks._

_The Bugbear Phantom made a hissing noise before lashing out with its tail, somehow able to strike even without seeing. WizarDragon dove to avoid the hits, letting the tail cause, more damage to Jeanne's Underworld._

_"Oh come on! Show some control!" I groaned, slipping on another ring._

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

_The magic circle appeared and I pulled out the Machine Winger before getting on, revving up the engine and speeding off. Coming in close to the WizarDragon, I got the bike to leap and transform before landing on my Phantom's back. With better control now, I urged Dragon forward, firing at the Bugbear Phantom as we had the openings, trying not to hasten the destruction of Jeanne's Underworld when I could._

_"Mattaku… this Bugbear's getting on my nerves!" I snapped before switching Derf to gun mode and opening the Hand Author on Derf._

**COME ON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS! COME ON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS!**

**FLAME! SHOOTING STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

_"Eat fireballs!" Derf yelled._

_The fireballs rained down, crashing against the Bugbear's hide, but only doing superficial damage. It made me curse, figuring if I wanted to kill the thing it would have to be when its eye was open. The rest of its body was just too well protected from assault with all of the metal skin it had._

_Suddenly, the eye of the beast opened and stared at me. The pupil suddenly contracted before the eye blasted a beam of pure energy at me in an attempt to kill me. I swerved and WizarDragon bellowed as we barely avoided getting hit. The blast did blow a good sized hole in the Underworld, making me fear that it could only take so much more damage before collapsing._

_"Crap, it didn't work!" I clenched my teeth._

_"You got any more ideas Partner?" Derf asked._

_"Well, if that's not going to work, there's only one thing that probably can!" I said before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice._

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

_I leaped up, my bike and Phantom transforming into a large metallic foot as we went. I connected with the bike as the two combined, creating a flaming image of me with the WizarDragon as my foot. I came down hard and fast, hoping to crush the Phantom. It seemed to take me as a challenge and fired another laser. It crashed against WizarDragon, but its new configuration allowed it to resist the blast. We were slowed down by the beam, but we managed to have physics on our side as my power kept pushing and gravity helped us. We splashed through the beam and I was able to connect with the Bugbear's open eye, causing it to scream before an explosion erupted, sending me and WizarDragon away. He transformed as I landed on the ground with baited breath. I didn't have to wait long as the cracks flashed gold and vanished, leaving the image of little Jeanne and her brother intact as they played in the garden._

_"Phwee…" I sighed. "That took forever…"_

_I never needed a nap so badly before._

_WizarDragon disappeared and after that, a magic circle appeared before I got on the Machine Winger again and drove into it to go back into the real world._

* * *

I emerged from Jeanne's Underworld in a heap, my armor vanished from lack of mana soon after. Looking up, I saw that the fire had been put put. The inn would need some repairs, but it would easily survive. Behind me, Jeanne was asleep, drained from the attack on her. I just heaved a sigh, glad that peace had returned.

"Kurogasa!" Louise cried out, running over to me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine… just tired…" I sighed. "Jeanne is safe now, but she won't be able to use her magic anymore."

"I don't think she'll care with her past," Louise huffed. "We managed to save the inn. The girls tied up Turenne and his men too when they tried to escape. Since you broke their wands they couldn't fight back."

"Well I'm glad this night was worth it…" I sighed.

* * *

I slept through most of the aftermath, but Louise was happy to explain what happened. After the local militia showed up over the disturbance, Louise relayed her orders from Henrietta to have Turenne and his men detained. The militia was made up of commoners and to her they seemed to take special pleasure from being able to arrest the crooked revenue agent. He tried to resist, but he was absolutely useless without his wand so there was nothing he or his goons could do.

The Dancing Fairy Inn would be repaired. The damage was most superficial and without Turenne skimming gold off the top, he could afford the repairs his inn would need. I was a little worried over how he and the girls would take me and Louise being agents of Henrietta, but they were ready to throw a party in our honor for how we helped. Scarron wanted to base his wardrobe for that evening of my 'sparkling' battle outfit.

Thankfully, the attic was still intact, so I was able to sleep there. And speaking of… I was beginning to wake up.

"Oooga…" I groaned. Oh why did Phantoms have to hit so hard?

"You're awake…" A voice said. I slowly opened my eyes to see Jeanne and she was… wearing the black maid outfit?

"Whoo…" I blinked, suddenly feeling very dry in my throat. I dimly recalled Scarron saying the outfit was enchanted and now seeing Jeanne wearing it I could believe him.

"How are you feeling?" Jeanne asked shyly.

"I'm… doing alright…" I said as I slowly sat up on my bed. "Uh… just out of curiosity, why are you wearing the black maid outfit?" I asked.

"Scarron let me borrow it after Jessica mentioned you and I were hitting it off." Jeanne giggled. "He thought it would be a pleasant sight to wake up to."

"Heh… that Jessica…" I scoffed good–naturedly.

"Listen, I…" Jeanne began, making me look at her. "I want to thank you for saving me. Louise told me what happened and… I'm grateful for what you did for me."

"No problem," I smiled. "Sorry about your magic though."

"It's okay." Jeanne shook her head, smiling. "I can live without it." She sighed, "My parents never really wanted to invest in teaching me beyond basics when I could hopefully bring profits as a bride to some rich lord."

"I heard from Jessica." I nodded as Jeanne sat next to me.

"And… that Turenne he…" She said as she trembled, hugging herself.

"Don't worry," I tried to comfort her, sitting up. "He's not going to slide from these charges. Not when the princess lays them down."

"I know, but… the awful things he did to me… it was just horrible…" Jeanne started to sob. "He even… took my innocence…"

"Aw Jeanne…"

"Every time he visited… when we couldn't pay our taxes… he'd mostly choose me and… and…"

"I should have shot him instead of his staff." I growled.

"Just thinking about it… sometimes I thought about just wanting to die because of what he did to me…"

When I heard that, that was when I hugged Jeanne, surprising the latter. "Don't say that…" I whispered.

"Mnnnn…" Jeanne trembled. "I was so scared to even leave my room after. Jessica had to comfort me for several nights…"

"You didn't deserve any of it…"

"That's what Jessica and the others said to me, but…" Jeanne mumbled. "What if…?"

"What if what Jeanne?" I asked.

"What if I _did_ deserve it for running and ruining my family's reputation?" she asked.

"That's not true." I said, breaking the hug to look at her. "If anyone's at fault, it's the nobles who can't do things right. That includes families that do such things. You're not at fault. You only wanted to follow your own path in life. A friend once told me: "Forget about what happened in the past, continue on with the present, and build for a better future.""

Jeanne looked at me, taking in my words. I really meant what I said. She shouldn't blame herself to running away from a bad family situation. Who wouldn't have run away when they were essentially to be sold like a brood mare for the sake of money?

"You're right," She nodded. "I just worry about my brother more than my parents. He was the one who helped me run away after we got the news about what my parents intended."

"He must be a really good brother." I smiled.

"He is." Jeanne smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "I… haven't been able to see him since he helped me get away. The most I heard was that he got married a year ago. Although knowing our parents she's probably an old hag with a lot of money."

"I see…" I nodded.

It was silent for a moment before Jeanne said, "Thank you Kurogasa… for keeping my hope alive. I don't know how to thank you."

"I'm just sorry that it cost you your magic." I sighed.

"It's okay. Like I said, I can live without it." Jeanne waved off, before she… suddenly got close to my face and held my cheeks? "Maybe… I can thank you like this." She said before she pressed her lips on mine softly, surprising me.

I was stunned for a moment, but somehow my mind came back and I tried my best to kiss her back just, as well. I wrapped my arms around her and we held each other for a few moments as we enjoyed the kiss. After what seemed like forever, we slowly broke the kiss. "Jeanne…" I whispered.

"Kurogasa… take back my first time…"

…

…

…

…WHAT?!

Did I just hear that or was it a delusion from hormones?

"Please…?" Jeanne asked.

Ok, so I _wasn't_ hearing things.

"U–Um… I, uh… I don't know if I should…" I stuttered. "I'm not exactly ready to give away my first time."

Jeanne smiled, "Oh, saving yourself are you? How rare," She moved to sit astride on my lap. "Well, I might be able to convince you otherwise, but let's start things off slow."

"Seriously, I'm… not ready."

"I know you said that. That's why I wanted to give you this before we start." Jeanne said before she pulled out a small bottle from her pocket.

"Uh…" I blinked. I did not like the looks of that bottle. "What's in that?" I asked nervously.

"It's a potion." Jeanne answered. "One of my friends gave it to me. Drink this and it will protect your innocence."

"Uhhhhh…" Okay, even with the possibility of magic, I could tell that was a scam. Even if it was a magic potion, it likely was meant for girls. Boys didn't have a physical sign of innocence like girls did with their barriers. "And if you're thinking it only works for girls, don't worry, it works for men too."

"Your logic escapes me." I replied flatly.

"Just drink the potion. You'll be fine." Jeanne assured. I may have argued, but Jeanne managed to slip the tip of the bottle between my lips and I swallowed a mouthful out of reflex. I almost gagged since it tasted like… well, crap. I felt something tremble through me for a moment before Jeanne took her own sip.

"How do you feel?" Jeanne asked.

"Uh…" I began, before I felt something tingly all over my… excitement, for a lack of better term.

"It feels tingly, right?" Jeanne smiled, leaning in closer. "So, no more excuses." she reached to the clasp of the dress on her back.

"So wait, what you said was actually–"

"I meant what I said." Jeanne said. "I know you were considerate to me, so I wanted to be considerate to you too."

I was sure I was supposed to say something, but I was running out of excuses. When her top dropped, I forgot how to speak. "Now then…" Jeanne whispered as she leaned on me, causing me to lie on the bed with her on top on me as she leaned in close to my face. "…please take back my first time…"

I think I'm gonna be in for a long night…

* * *

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! How do you like that?! He saves the girl and he scores! Of course, with that potion he drank, his innocence will be protected. Okay, I'll admit it was Deus Ex Machina like, but it works out right? Besides, Jeanne will explain why she wanted him to take that potion next chapter. So until then, see ya later!


	7. Enter the Marshall

Hello everyone, it's your favorite author Fenikkusumaru, here to bring to you another chapter of Wizard of Zero! Now since I decided to skip episode 4 of the first season, I replaced it with this filler I came up with. Of course, I couldn't have done it without the help of Ten-Faced Paladin, who by the way, is helping me out with this story. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Oh boy… what a night…

It was a landmark to be sure and Jeanne showed she had experience. It was also an affectionate night which I definitely wouldn't forget anytime soon. I was tired and kind of sore but I had a pretty wide grin on my face at the end of it all that was still there the next morning. But even then, a part of me still felt bad that I did this. I wasn't supposed to do this at _all_.

Well, a little too late to consider that little aspect. Besides, it wasn't awful by any means I suppose.

…

Okay, it wasn't awful at all. I was going to be dreaming about it for a while.

Looking to my left, I saw Jeanne cuddled against me with her head resting on my chest and both of our bare bodies were covered by the blanket. Smiling at her, I lightly poked her cheek, like how Kirito from Sword Art Online would lightly poke Asuna's cheek and she slowly woke up. "Hey there, Jeanne…"

"Hmmmmm… morning…" Jeanne smiled, cracking open her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

Jeanne buried her face in my chest as she said in a dreamy whisper, "Amazing… last night was… beautiful."

"I agree," I nodded. I couldn't think of much else to say. What's the standard dialogue of the morning after, when you're with a girl you're interested in who was just as into you? Not just a one night thing, but actual genuine attraction?

"I feel like that whatever Turenne did to me never existed." Jeanne added.

"Good," I smiled. "Because now it doesn't,"

"Thank you Kurogasa… for taking back my first time…"

"Sure," I said. "But… are you sure it was really okay for me to do that?"

"It's fine. Your innocence was protected, so in a way, for you, this actually doesn't count."

I still didn't get the logic, but oh well.

"Are you still confused about all this?" Jeanne giggled.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "How the heck can you read my mind?"

"It really doesn't take a magician to notice the look on your face." Jeanne giggled again. "I knew this was only going to be a one–time thing, and I have a feeling that you'd be meeting other people and eventually… find the girl you _really_ love. That's why I wanted you to drink that potion."

"Ah… ok." I nodded. "That actually makes sense. And it was very considerate of you."

"I told you." Jeanne smiled. "Still… I'm grateful. Now I won't have to worry about anything anymore. I can finally move on and live life to the fullest."

"Yeah," I smiled.

Jeanne then looked up at me with a gentle smile and said, "I'll never forget you Kurogasa… and the moment we had together last night."

"Likewise," I nodded.

With that we leaned, into each other and kissed one last time, wanting to savor the moment.

"KUROGASA!"

And that was when Louise found us. Jeanne and I were startled as we both stopped kissing and sat up with Jeanne covering her modesty. Louise was standing in front of us, with a mix of pure shock and rage.

I foresaw pain.

"Uh… Louise, I–I can explain." I stuttered. Louise turned bright red and slammed the door shut again, leaving me and Jeanne alone. "Huh, that didn't go the way I expected."

"Huh?" Jeanne asked confused.

"Normally, she'd blow me up with an explosion or something, but… she didn't."

Maybe my day was looking up?

"Um… maybe we should dress up before someone else walks in on us." Jeanne suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," I said. With that, the two of us got dressed in our clothes before we went to the door. When I opened the door…

*POW!*

Louise kicked me where the sun doesn't shine…

I gaped at the impact, "GUCK?!" My vision went blurry as I dropped to the ground, clutching myself.

"YOU BIG, BAD, DOG!" Louise shrieked.

"Gwoooooooo…" I groaned. Oh man, the pain from last night's fights was _nothing_ compared to _this_!

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD _DO_ SUCH A THING! I OUGHTA HAVE YOU CASTRATED!"

"I'm surprised you know the meaning of that word…" I wheezed.

My world was pain, but I could still speak. I really had to wonder if Louise was mad at the impropriety in me and Mary or if she was upset that I was paying another girl so much attention. With Louise, it was really hard to tell.

"DO YOU WANT ME TO EMPHASIZE ON THAT?!" Louise yelled.

"No thanks…" I wheezed again.

"A–Are you okay, Kurogasa?" Jeanne asked worriedly, kneeling down next to me.

"I'll be fine…" I assured. I don't think riding on the Machine Winger will be an option today…

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical_ _Wizard_ _Rings:_ _It contains_ _the power of the four_ _elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of_ _Despair, a familiar with_ _modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the_ _Jewel of Hope: Kamen_ _Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 7: Enter the Marshall

After recovering myself from this morning's incident, Louise and I were at the entrance of the Dancing Fairy Inn, ready to leave, with Jessica, Scarron, Jeanne, and the other fairies seeing us off. "Although our time was short, it was a blessing to have you both!" Scarron cooed, his visage sparkling as he said goodbye.

"Both of you are welcome here any time! You should stop by every now and then." Jessica winked.

"We'll try." I smiled, but then felt Louise stomp on my foot, "URK!"

"Yes… good meeting you all. L–Let's go Kurogasa!" Louise said irritated before walking away.

"Goodbye!" the fairies cheered as we began our long trek towards home. I waved to the girls, Jeanne especially as we left. I felt a little heartbroken but we parted on good terms and maybe she would be right about me finding someone new.

* * *

_As soon as Kurogasa and Louise left, all the fairies, Jessica, and Scarron surrounded Jeanne. "Okay Jeanne, spill it! What happened last night?" Jessica asked excitedly._

_"Oh…you know," Jeanne grinned, blushing._

_"No way, did you really?!" Jessica asked, more excited._

_"It was… magical," Jeanne beamed._

_The other fairies got all giddy at that._

_"Oh très bien…" Scarron sighed longingly. "What ecstasy!"_

_"You're not exclusive now, right?" asked one of the girls hopefully._

_"Who knows?" Jeanne shrugged before looking down at her hand, more specifically the Engage Ring that was on her finger before smiling gently._ 'I'll never forget you… Kurogasa…'

* * *

Louise and I continued walking down the path back to Tristain Academy. Normally, Louise and I would've gotten on the Machine Winger to get back home, but thanks to Louise kicking me where the sun doesn't shine, that proved to be difficult.

It was actually nice and breezy so I guess the walk doesn't hurt. Good thing I'm wearing the Hurricane Style jacket. Like the other two, it was the same style coat only it was green. The magic circle on the front and back was green too and was light enough to break the colors. This coat was also made from the finest silk in all of Halkeginia and the bottom of the coat had threads of silk so it'll flow with the wind.

"Are you still angry at me?" I asked her.

"I'm not talking to you." Louise huffed.

"That's only because you don't want to hear my explanation." I retorted.

"You followed your dog instincts for a big chest and she let you get her like Kirche would," Louise huffed. "What more do I need to know?"

"The fact that Jeanne and Kirche are complete opposites…" I frowned.

"How is that?" Louise asked incredulously.

"For one, Jeanne knows the importance of keeping intimacy to real relationships." I frowned. "Kirche just sees it as something to have fun with."

"Oh, so now you're suddenly an expert on relationships? How surprising…" Louise said sarcastically.

"I know what I want in _my_ relationships." I sighed, shaking my head. "Kirche made it pretty obvious what she wanted: a mark on her bedpost. Jeanne and I, well it may not have been lasting but it was something special."

"Hmph, it's still all the same." Louise scoffed.

"Dang it Louise, she asked me to okay?! She wanted to get rid of the memories of Turenne and what he did to her!" I snapped.

Louise blinked, "Huh?"

I sighed, well so much for that secret, "Turenne was doing more than just scamming extra money for his pockets. When the Dancing Fairy couldn't pay, he force the girls to service him and his men in ways waitresses shouldn't, if you get my drift."

Louise looked at me in shock, "Are you serious?!"

"Dead serious…" I frowned before growling, "And Jeanne was his favorite… that… that bastard took her innocence…"

Louise turned pale, gaping in shock and horror. I just gave her a moment to digest the information before I continued, "That's part of why Jeanne and I spent the night together. She wanted to be with someone who genuinely cared about her and wouldn't treat her like a free prostitute."

"I…" Louise began.

"Plus, she gave me a potion that would protect _my_ innocence, so what we did doesn't count. She knew it'd be a one–time thing and that sooner or later, I'd find the girl I _really_ love."

"Oh…" Louise blinked, "Well then, why didn't you say so? You could have at least mentioned the potion!"

I blinked. She got the logic behind male innocence too? What was I missing here?

"Yeah, I would've told you but you blindly assumed things and got angry too easily!" That and she kicked my gonads in! That alone was a serious crime but when I was still basking in the afterglow just made it that much worse!

"Sorry…" Louise mumbled.

Wow… did she really feel _that_ bad?

"Just…" I sighed, my temper deflating. "Learn to read the situation instead of just jumping to conclusions. You know me better than just being one of those drooling loons that follow Kirche around."

"Okay…" Louise mumbled again.

"Wow… she really _does_ feel that bad. Still, at least I cleared the air with her.

* * *

After walking for another hour, we finally arrived back at Tristain Academy. "Good to be back eh Partner?" Derf asked.

"Yeah," I yawned. "A good thing Henrietta sent us to the town nearest to the Academy or else I'd have to drive back and…"

"Yeah, the gonads wouldn't like that," Derflinger agreed. "So how does it feel to score with a girl?"

"It's…" I began. "Well… it was certainly a new experience."

"Most guys would be bragging to their buddies you know," Derflinger chuckled. "That girl was a looker! Not many guys could land a girl like her!"

"Well I'm one of those "not many" now." And I was dang proud of it. Of course, I wasn't so much of a jerk that I'd go bragging about it or even tell anyone that I did have relations with a girl like Jeanne. It was no one else's business but my own!

Anyways, Louise and I were walking around the school, but… no one's here.

"Where _is_ everyone?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know…" Louise said, being in the same position as I am, as she looked around.

"Oh, there you are Darling!"

Oh no… that's the _last_ person I wanna see!

I turned and there she was, bouncing over to Louise and me. It was like a car crash, and I was unable to do anything but watch as she came closer and latched onto me, making liberal use of her chest.

"What do you think you're doing Zerbst?" Louise growled, obviously annoyed and ticked off.

"I'm greeting my Darling!" Kirche purred, rubbing her assets against me as she spoke. I guess she figured I forgot their size and shape so she took in on herself to remind me of what I was missing. Heh… but it's already too late for Kirche! Mary got to me first before she did! Ha! Ha! Ha!

"GRRRRRR!" Louise snarled. "Jeanne had extenuating circumstances, but I won't let you steal my Familiar!"

Dang it Louise, that's supposed to be secret!

"Jeanne? Who's Jeanne?" Kirche asked confused.

"Um, no one… Just someone I met," I tried to dismiss the question. "A–Anyways, where _is_ everyone?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh didn't you know? It's summer vacation." Kirche said.

"Summer… vacation?" I asked confused.

"You didn't think we stayed here all year, did you?" asked Kirche with a giggle. "Well, I'm going to visit Tabitha's house first since I upset my parents a little lately."

"Oh, there's a surprise," Louie rolled her eyes.

"I can't imagine what you did to upset your parents." I deadpanned with a sweat drop.

"I know! They're just overreacting." Kirche shrugged.

"In any case, shouldn't you get going? Tabitha is waiting for you." Louise insisted.

"Oh! Right," Kirche nodded, turning to leave. "I'll see you when I get back Darling!" She winked. I shuddered in terror at the thought as she let go of me and went off to meet with Tabitha.

"Stupid Kirche…" Louise growled then began stomping for the dorms. "Come on Kurogasa! We have things to do!"

"Um… things as in what exactly…?" I asked.

"…things that don't involve KIRCHE!" Louise snapped after a moment.

"Okay, okay, sheesh, calm down." I raised my hands in defense. Something tells me, this is gonna be a long vacation.

* * *

While Louise stewed over Kirche again, I was able to get some time for myself. So I decided to head down to the kitchens to say hello to the staff and see how they were doing. It's been a while since I actually visited Siesta, Marteau, and the others over at the kitchen. I bet Marteau came up with new recipes. Knowing him, he'd be off giving me free samples. If he heard about me and Louise cracking down on corrupt nobles for the sake of the commoners he'd throw me a banquet.

And then there was Siesta. She and I haven't spoken in a while, due to some stuff that's been occurring all over to school, so since this is summer vacation, now's a good time as any.

I made my way down to the kitchen and found a number of the serving staff in conversation. I guessed that they were on light duty since only a few students were staying for the vacation alongside the teachers. They didn't have to do nearly as much work as they would usually do if the school was full. As I hoped, Siesta was there talking with her fellow maids with cups of tea.

"Hey everybody," I announced myself, catching their attention.

"Kurogasa," Siesta beamed as she suddenly ran over to me and gave me a hug, making me cough a bit.

"H–Hey Siesta," I winced. Oh those bruises from the Phantoms weren't going to go away for a while yet. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well! What about you?" Siesta chirped.

"I've… been better." I grinned.

"Well, well, well, if isn't Our Sword!" Marteau laughed heartily.

"Hello Marteau," I greeted. "Working hard or hardly working?"

"I'm hardly working, now that these nobles are on vacation!" Marteau smiled widely. "What've _you_ been doing?"

"That's… actually a long story." I said.

"Is that right? Well pull up a chair! I'll cook ya something and you can tell us all about it!"

"Well, Henrietta called us up saying that there were rumors about Phantoms in the town near the Academy so we had to go investigate," I answered, remembering the cover story. If it became public knowledge that Henrietta was investigating the nobility, it could cause some problems. "Lucky me, it wasn't just one Phantom but it was two of them."

"Were they that strong?" asked another maid.

"Well, one had six arms and could throw fireballs while the other could fly," I replied, remembering getting slashed by the Asura Phantom. "I had so much trouble taking them both down and then I had to save this girl they drove to despair. A giant freaking floating eyeball that could shoot laser beams. I could have slept for a week after that."

"Wow… that's pretty rough there." Marteau said amazed.

"I still have the bruises," I grumbled. "I just hope that the Phantoms lay low for a while so I can recover before we have to fight again."

"Bah, don't worry about them. For now, you go ahead and eat, drink, and become merry with the rest of us!" Marteau laughed heartily.

I didn't need any more encouragement than that. Marteau broke out his cooking skills again for the noon meal and let us have first shares of the meal before he began serving portions for the teachers and the remaining students in the Academy. Once again, I was being spoiled by the man's awesome cooking skills. Oh Jessica, you have no idea how outmatched you are.

* * *

_Meanwhile, a carriage being pulled by a horse was on its way towards Tristain Academy. Inside was a noble, and he looked furious. "This is an outrage. My son defeated by an unranked noble?! That is preposterous!"_

_The man was obviously a noble, but unlike most he wore official–looking clothes, likely a military style gold shoulders and insignias over his heart, denoting a special rank. With the number of medals and colors he wore, he was likely someone of high ranking in the military. He even had a sword at his side, but the tip was oddly–shaped like a wand. His face was impeccably handsome with golden blonde hair which covered one of his eyes with how it was brushed. If there ever was a perfect example of an impeccably handsome older man, it was that gentleman._

_It turned out that Guiche had sent a letter to his father regarding the incident as soon as Kurogasa defeated him. The letter of course took a number of days to arrive at the Gramont Estate. As soon as the head of the Gramont family received and read the contents of the letter, he was outright furious and had to do something about it._

_The noble looked down at the letter Guiche send and read it again to himself._

Dear Father

I suppose I should tell you this now before you receive the official notice from the Academy. I had been involved in a duel with an unranked noble whom was unexpectedly brought to our school by the daughter of the Vallière Family. There had been a misunderstanding between myself, Montmorency, and a first-year I had taken under my wing. It had been exaggerated by the unranked noble. Unfortunately I let my temper rule me and I tried to put the blame on him and also challenged him to a duel. I must regretfully report that I had lost.

I must extrapolate that the noble I fought is from outside our noble Halkeginia so in his lands I have no doubt he is highly ranked. In the midst of our duel, he proved to be capable of fighting with all four elements in the midst of battle and used them all to defeat my golems. I gave my best, but unfortunately his element of surprise and my admitted lack of experience allowed him to take the win in our duel. I have taken this defeat and decided to learn from it, using it to grow stronger. After all, as you say there is no shame in defeat but refusing to learn from that defeat is the true shame.

Once more, I humbly apologize from my rash actions.

Your son,  
Guiche de Gramont

_The noble then crumpled the note in anger as he clenched his teeth and growled._

_His son! Beaten by some unranked nobody! Using all four elements? Ridiculous! The boy was just obviously making excuses for some commoner with some skill in a sword getting the best of him! No doubt the boy's womanizing ways got him in trouble yet again! He was much like his mother in that regard!_

_"When I find that unranked noble he is going to regret that he met me!"_

* * *

"Oh wow, I'm a happy man…" I sighed in content as I patted my stomach. A good meal, good friend, nice conversation, and no stress made for an excellent day for me.

"Living the good life huh Partner?" Derf asked as he wriggled out of his sheath.

"For today, heck yeah," I grinned to my partner.

"Kurogasa," Louise called out, as she came running over to me.

"Huh?" I looked up to see Louise approaching. "What's up Louise?"

Louise panted before calming herself down. "I… got a letter… from the Princess." She said.

"Oh?" I blinked. "What did she say? Something about what she's going to do to Turenne?"

"Yes." Louise said before presenting me the said letter. "Here. Read it yourself."

I read over the letter and Henrietta's flowing script. Thankfully I had been able to learn how to read the language Tristain used with Tabitha's help. Henrietta gave us her fond thanks for completing our mission and alerting her to Turenne's corruption. With proof of his wrongdoing, the advisors couldn't stonewall her when the law needed to look at another noble's wrongdoing even if they would still argue. She assured us that for his blatant corruption and abuse of the commoners, he would be stripped of his title, his status, and would be fined for everything he stole and considering he had been at it for years, he would a lose a lot of his holdings to repayment.

After all that, she was even pushing for jail time considering he was party to rape with the Dancing Fairy Inn waitresses. Bonus!

"Well, that's good to hear." I smiled. "Turenne deserved what he got."

"Yes," Louise agreed. The man was detestable pig who was doing unspeakable things with his noble status. She honestly couldn't defend his actions just because he was a noble. Anyone who did things like that in no way deserved to be called a noble.

"I bet you with what happened there, the other commoners would testify similar problems about the other nobles and Henrietta would be more than happy to look over whatever problem it is."

"Of course they would!" Louise nodded. "Her Majesty is kind and understanding to all of her people! Even if she is the princess, the commoners shouldn't feel any pressure at all when they deal with her! I never do!"

"And when you start stuttering when you meet her?" I grinned.

"T–That's different!" Louise stuttered.

I chuckled and decided to leave the teasing at that, "So how does it feel knowing you've been helping the royalty out since Fouquet? I mean, helping root out corrupt nobles and sending your Familiar off to destroy the Phantoms who threaten queen and country?"

"It feels… good," Louise smiled, one of the rare true smiles I saw her use. She didn't smile with noble pride or smirk when someone who talked down on her got smacked or blown up. This was a smile from a truly happy Louise. Being able to help Henrietta meant a lot to her since for a long time people just kept looking down on her because of her magical difficulties.

"I'm glad to hear that." I smiled back. "Aren't you glad you summoned me?"

"I'm growing more appreciative," Louise nodded. Stubborn girl to the end I suppose. "Just keep it up and don't go fooling around!"

"Oh believe me, I won't fool around." I assured.

"OH THIS IS TERRIBLE!"

Louise and I looked up to the main castle where Guiche had dashed out looking like the world was about to end. His giant mole waddled out behind him, looking confused. Even Montmorency was there with her arms crossed, looking like Guiche was being a drama queen.

"Did he cheat again?" Louise sighed.

"No, Montmorency would be chewing him out if he did. It must be something else," I replied. "Want to go see?"

"May as well," Louise shrugged before she and I headed to see what was causing the blonde playboy to freak out so much.

"Oi Guiche, what's wrong?" I called out.

"Eh?" Guiche looked up from his panic...and then began to panic even more. "SIR KUROGASA! YOU MUST RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! IF YOU DON'T YOU'LL BE FACED WITH YOUR OWN DEMISE! NOTHING ELSE CAN SAVE YOU! RUN! RUN NOW!"

"CALM DOWN GUICHE!" I shouted before I held his shoulders and smacked both his cheeks a few times with one hand. "Now what is the problem?" I asked him. Guiche just whimpered, looking like he was about to cry.

"His father is coming to visit," Montmorency replied. "Guiche had to tell him about your duel with him and how he lost. He sent a reply saying he was coming to talk about it. Apparently he is upset that his son, the son of a praised military officer got beaten by an unranked noble."

"Marshall Gramont?" Louise blinked in surprise.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"He's a decorated officer in the queen's military," Montmorency explained, sighing at Guiche still weeping. "He's received several commendations for his distinguished service and is at the forefront of many of the military campaigns Tristain undertakes. Many families know better than to cross him since he is not only a hardened soldier, but holds some favor in the monarchy."

"I heard he's also very strict in the law," Louise agreed. "Captured criminals would rather take the executioner's blade than any punishment he would dish out."

"I'm doooooooomed!" Guiche sobbed.

"Hey! I said calm down!" I shouted before I slapped him again, with a backhand to his cheek.

"Hah," he groaned before shaking his head. "Okay, I'm calm now."

"Good." I sighed, letting him go. "Okay, so your father is coming to visit and obviously he's a hardbutt. How bad could it really be?"

Guiche trembled, "You didn't have to suffer through his training regimes as punishment as a child."

"I heard they're bad," Montmorency nodded, clearly unconcerned. "Even grown men and soldiers don't take it unless they have to."

I blinked, "And you get away with being such a Casanova?"

"Blame his mother." Montmorency frowned. "She's a seducer through and through. He inherited all of her traits."

"My mother is a fine example of femininity Montmorency!" Guiche insisted. "If more women were like her, there would be more faithful marriages being made!"

"Right…" Montmorency rolled her eyes. "And the fact your household hasn't hired a male servant since they were courting?"

"Coincidence," Guiche shrugged.

"Okay, so then what does this have to do with me?" I asked.

Grabbing the lapels of my coat desperately, Guiche yelled, "EVERYTHING! He's going to want to duel you to answer for the shame caused by my defeat!" He sobbed. "He didn't believe me and thought I was trying to cover my shame of being beaten when I told him of your abilities! He thinks I was just being lazy and sloppy!"

"Ugh…" I groaned. And just when I thought my day was getting better… _this_ had to rear its ugly head at me.

Okay, so some great commander was coming to kick my butt for beating up his son. Maybe I should have commended the man for sticking up for his son, but I had a suspicion he was doing it because my beating Guiche damaged his name rather than because I hurt his boy.

"Okay, so when is he getting here?" I asked.

"He is here now!" An unknown voice said.

I blinked and turned around, ignoring the look on Guiche's face that indicated he may have crapped himself. The man staring at us from the front door of the school was certainly looked military. He was dressed like the part too. At least he wasn't as frilly as some nobles I had seen so far. His blonde hair and good looks certainly resembled Guiche, if not a little more disciplined.

"Sir Marshall Gramont I presume?" I asked, just wanting to be sure.

"I am." The man frowned.

"AHHHHHHHHH, FATHER!" Guiche squealed girly.

"Oh shut up!" both the man and I snapped at Guiche before glancing at one another. Well, we had little patience for Guiche's drama. Maybe we could be amicable?

"I assume you are the unranked noble that bested my son in a duel?" Guiche's father asked.

"That would be me," I nodded. "Can I help you Lord Gramont?"

"I've come to repay you for the insult you delivered to my family for attacking my son like you did," the man frowned, his hand resting on his sword.

I groaned, "Sir, the duel was fairly challenged and won. You should be thankful that I decided to show mercy and not leave any lasting injury on your son."

"Don't say that! You'll make him angry!" Guiche whimpered.

"Fairly challenged and won?" Guiche's father scoffed. "That's not how it seemed when he wrote his letter to me about the duel."

"What?" I frowned, looking to the sweating Guiche.

"He tried to lessen the blame on himself," Montmorency reported with a huff. "He made it seem like a misunderstanding which you settled with extreme force by using all four elements like you did. He conveniently left out what he was doing and what he was going to that maid that busted him which made you duel him."

"Montmorency…" Guiche whined.

I twitched my eye at Guiche. "I can't believe you…"

"I'm sorry…" He muttered, poking his index fingers together.

Marshall frowned and gripped his weapon, "So I am to believe my son left out some details?" he sighed ruefully. "Just like his brothers then. What was he doing? For some reason, I feel I am not going to be surprised by what I hear."

"He was wooing a first year while dating me." Montmorency huffed, crossing his arms.

"And then he dropped some perfume she made him and I picked it up," I continued. "Since I didn't know about his… playing the field, I gave it back trying to be helpful. It was all the proof Montmorency and that girl needed to know he was playing them. So they smacked him and left." I glared back at Guiche who flinched. "He then tried to put the blame on me, then he challenged me and we dueled. I won."

Marshall's face was blank after the explanation. He was silent for a moment before he groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose, "Just like his mother. Ugh." For some reason, I had a feeling Marshall had dealt with this situation before.

"So… do you still want to duel me?" I asked.

"I am… conflicted," Marshall admitted with another groan, not looking up. Guiche seemed to be trembling in fright.

"Is it just me or is Marshall Gramont about to blow his head off?" Louise whispered to Montmorency.

"He might. The lothario deserves it," Montmorency huffed. Marshall Gramont was still in conflict whether he should still duel me or not.

On one hand, I didn't deny that I put his son through the wringer. Maybe using all four elements and totally curb–stomping him, was a little much. On the other hand, in terms of propriety, the lesson was warranted since I was the one who first discovered her was cheating and as a gentleman's duty called him out on it.

After a while, Marshall said, "I'll still duel you. I will punish my son for his actions later on, but my family's reputation comes first."

"Fair enough," I nodded. Great, just when I thought I got out of violence for the day.

"Oh no…" Guiche paled in horror.

"Hear me unranked noble. My son's magic is _nothing_ compared to what I have in store for you…"

Guiche got his speeches from his father it seemed. "Fine… shall we?" I asked, lifting my hand to activate my Driver.

"Not yet. I need time to prepare. We shall duel in one hour." Marshall said.

"Vestri Court?" I offered for a place to duel.

"Very well," He nodded and turned away, walking to the school no doubt to alert the headmaster as to what was going to happen.

"This is going to be a slaughter…" Guiche said in horror.

"Well, I guess I'd better get all of my Wizard Rings." I sighed, scratching my head. "At least Derf will have something to do now."

"HAVE YOU GONE DEMENTED?!" Guiche yelled. "YOU WON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST MY FATHER!"

"Won't know until I try," I shrugged. "And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve anyway."

"You're either brave or insane." Montmorency blinked. "I'm not sure which."

"Maybe I'm both." I winked at Montmorency. That didn't seem to reassure anyone as I headed back to the dorms to get my remaining rings.

* * *

After one hour, I went to the Vestri Court to wait for Marshall. We actually arrived at the same time so neither of us had to wait. Somehow, word had gotten all over the school even with the reduced population and all of the teachers and remaining students were there to watch the duel. It gave me a sense of déjà vu since I had dueled, the man's son in the same place. Hopefully I could pull out a win this time too.

"You've arrived." Marshall said. "I commend you for your bravery to accept my challenge, however it is also foolish."

_'Oh man, déjà vu all over again!'_ I thought with a groan. Well, at least Marshall was marginally politer than his son was. "After you came all this way, it would be rather rude to turn you down. Now what are the conditions for victory?"

"The first to surrender or lose unconsciousness loses."

"That's fine by me." I said before slipping on my default rings.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver materialized around my waist and after that, I flipped the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

"What is that annoying sound?" Marshall frowned.

"That would be my magic," I replied, lifting my Flame Style Ring before shouting, "Henshin!"

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

The magic circle appeared on my left and went towards and through me before donning into my ruby armor.

"Now then," I announced, lifting up Derflinger from where I had stuck him into the ground to change. He wasn't going to let me hear the end of it. "It's showtime, no?"

"So that is how you use your magic." Marshall said. "They are in the form of rings."

"That's right!" I said. "I am the Diamond of Justice in the Rough of Oppression! The Jewel of Hope unearthed from the Sands of Despair! I am Kamen Rider Wizard!"

"Amusing," Marshall snorted before raising his sword/wand. "My reputation speaks for itself. Now en garde,"

"En garde indeed," I said before charging at Marshall.

Our weapons met with sparks, but Marshall seemed to know what to do and twisted, putting me slightly off balance before he jabbed with his weapon. I jumped to the side, trying not to get stabbed before I swung wide to try and get him to back off. I was sort of expecting it, but I didn't think the odds of the guy being good with a sword when every noble I met relied heavily on magic were that good.

Marshall was disgusted by my performance, "How weak!" He snapped before he blocked my attack and moved his and my WizarSwordGun in a circular motion before finally stabbing me, sending me flying while sparks came out of my armor.

"Okay, ow!" I grunted, getting my footing back.

"Wow. We sure this guy's the fop's dad? He seems way too good," Derflinger commented.

"Resemblance is there so he must be," I shrugged. Standing up, I took another stance, "Okay, let's do this!"

I switched rings and opened up the Hand Author on Derf.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A small magic circle appeared and a WizarSwordGun copy appeared in my hand, allowing me to dual wield before charging at Marshall.

"Two swords won't help you if you don't have the skill to wield one!" Marshall snapped at me.

"Oh no worries, I know what I'm doing!" I called, having my hands hot with magic as I dashed at him again.

Our swords clashed and I expertly slashed at Marshall with my two swords. He may be blocking my attacks, but I'm getting _faster_ with my attacks, in hopes that he would somehow slip up.

Hey, I was the guy who was the Gandalfr and he was just a trained soldier with years of experience. I had to have the advantage somehow, right? But then all of a sudden, his magic came into play as a wave of dirt and rock came, flying at me.

"Oh CRAP!" I yelled. Okay, ridiculously quick ring change… now! Gandalfr speed, don't fail me now!

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

I immediately changed to Water Style and quickly changed spell rings and flipping the Hand Author again.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

The rocks smashed into me and I collapsed into water. Nailed it! With my body unimpeded, I slipped through the layers of dirt before splashing through the back of it, lunging at Marshall again.

"Such trickery won't work on me!" Marshall declared. He stabbed at me, but I flowed around it before reforming and slashing at him. Somehow, he seemed to expect the strike and blocked it. Well dang, this guy was really good. "And now pay the price!" Marshall shouted before finally hitting me with his wave of rocks and dirt.

"Ow…" I groaned. "Okay! Let's try another!" I swapped rings again.

**LAND! PLEASE! DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

The magic circle went through me again and I assumed Land Style. "Now we have the same power!" I boasted.

"Hah! Don't get cocky, whelp!"

I switched rings again and flipped the Hand Author.

**DRILL! PLEASE!**

Rather than wait for Marshall to attack, I began spinning on the spot and drilled into the dirt. Being surrounded by the power of the earth, I could sense Marshall trying to manipulate it a little. All it did for me was paint a nice big target on him for me to aim at.

"Hah! What would digging dirt do for you?" Marshall mocked.

"It gets me to your blind spot!" I yelled, bursting up from the ground right between his legs, a beautiful uppercut aimed right at his chin.

"Gah," Marshall cringed as he flew up high in the air.

"Now it's time for this!" I said before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author.

**HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

Kicking up the air around me, I flew after Marshall to lay down further smackdown while he was up in the air and unable to connect with the ground with his feet or his magic, whichever he needed to make the spells work. I knew it was probably improper to use my fists, but I wasn't going to use Derflinger and really hurt the guy.

So with that, I did a series of kicks and punches to the guy, making sure that he doesn't get the chance to counterattack. Meanwhile, some of the students and staff were cheering me on.

I think Guiche was cheering, but I couldn't be sure. I did glance at his face and noticed he looked like his world was turning upside down. Maybe he was happy to see his father wasn't the juggernaut he knew or just shocked to see anybody actually fighting him for so long. It was hard to say with the gaping look.

"Go Kurogasa!" Siesta cheered.

"You can do it Our Sword!" Marteau cheered too.

Well, with my dedicated fan base behind me, I was sure to win. Gravity was reasserting itself so I decided for a heavy hit, aiming to use and axe kick on Marshall to smack him back into the ground.

*BAM!*

I hit him hard and he plummeted straight to the ground, making a small crater before I let the wind safely land me on the ground a few feet from him.

My mind caught up with my body and I felt the aches and pains from Marshall's attacks and using so much mana catching up with me. I dropped to one knee to keep from falling over entirely. This was like fighting those Phantoms all over again! Marshall was really living up to his name if he could push me like that.

"Did he get him?" Louise asked

"I don't know…" Siesta replied.

That was when I saw movement from Marshall as he slowly got up. How did this guy survive my attacks?!

"Now you've done it…" Marshall growled.

"Oh no…" Guiche paled in horror. "Kurogasa is in for it now…"

The ground cracked before it erupted in a mountain of rock and dirt. The rock pieces combined together to form larger chunks, making the image of a roman centurion if I had to make a comparison, shield and spear gripped in its hands. Dirt flew up and filled in the gaps between the pieces of rock, allowing the construct to move as it took a stance against me.

"F–Father's best spell," Guiche stuttered. "His one and only Square Class spell! The Earthen Centurion! Whenever he's used it he's always won!"

"Well that's peachy…" I groaned, before switching rings.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I went back to Flame Style and opened up the Hand Author on Derf.

**C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS!**

**FLAME! SLASH STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

"Here we go!" I slashed, sending several blades of pure fire magic up at the construct. The stone warrior barely moved by lifting its shield which took the blow. Small explosions ripped across the surface, but only small bits of stone fell from the surface. I could see plenty of cracks, but I'd have to shoot several more attacks like that to break the shield. "Oh crap."

"You should have stuck with Water," Marshall smirked before he pointed at me. "Attack my centurion!"

The Centurion construct looked at me before pulling back its spear for the attack.

"Oh snap!" I cringed before switching rings.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

I made a clone before repeating the process.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

Two more clones appeared making four in total and my clones and I did it again.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

Now there were eight of me, and after that, we all switched rings and flipped the Hand Authors.

**DEFEND! PLEASE!**

We all raised a wall of fire which the spear jabbed into. Thanks to the heat, the rock was heated up to a ridiculous degree and it melted, slipping out of the golem's hand as it plopped to the grass as magma. The caretakers were going to kill me later, but I could just blame it on Marshall.

"Impossible!" Marshall gasped.

"Nope, it's improbable!" I said before my clones disappeared and I switched rings. "Hey Louise, you wanna see the Phantom inside me?!"

"Huh?" Louise gasped.

Well, this was a gamble since my next ring was used once and near a nexus of an unbelievable amount of magic. Still, with Halkeginia being steeped in magic of its own I figured it was worth a shot. So slipping on the blue ring, I passed it over the Hand Author

**MIRACLE! PLEASE!**

It played the jingle and soon the huge red magic circle appeared above me. After that, we all heard WizarDragon's roar.

From the circle rose my inner Phantom, roaring loudly. He was bigger than before, roughly being the size of what a regular dragon would be. The Miracle Ring did help Haruto fight off Space Shocker's ultimate weapon so I suppose the dragon had to be bigger to fight it. It made WizarDragon large enough to compete with the golem though.

"What travesty is this?!" Marshall gawked.

"No way… that's the Phantom inside Kurogasa?" Louise gasped as she fell to her knees at the sight.

"Oh please just fight the thing and don't cause any damage," I silently prayed. WizarDragon looked around and saw the Centurion structure, before it decided to fly over and fight it.

It smashed into the golem with a loud slam, causing it to stumble backwards and crash into the walls surrounding the school property. I could only groan in despair as I watched a chunk of the wall get torn down from the golem's weight mixed with my Phantom's. "Oh great…"

"Kurogasa, look what your Phantom's doing!" Louise shrieked.

I really hope that Osmond has castle insurance for it.

WizarDragon roared and inhaled deeply, pinning the golem's shoulders before attempting to breathe a stream of fire at it.

"Geez, Dragon, do I really have to control you?!" I shouted before switching rings.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

A magic circle appeared and I pulled out the Machine Winger before getting on it and revving the engine.

I think I scared the majority of the audience by doing that but I didn't care. I raced towards the WizarDragon before hitting a rock that fell and jumped into the air. My machine transformed and attached to the WizarDragon's back. A flash followed and my machine grew to account for its new size, making my Phantom look like he had new majestic wings. He became more docile, which allowed me to pull back and stop the damage we were causing.

"Alright, let's go Dragon!" I said. WizarDragon roared before we took to the sky.

I soared into the air and turned around before taking careful aim at the rising golem. I gunned the handlebars and let the WizarDragon unleash a blast of fire which soared down and crashed against the golem's shield. Unlike my previous attack, this one caused the shield to suffer several holes being blown into it. The remains of the shield then cracked and crashed to pieces. The displacement of weight caused the golem to stumble.

"And now it's time for the grand finale!" I shouted before switching rings.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

I leaped into the air, WizarDragon detaching from the Machine Winger. Dragon configured into the giant talon foot while the Machine Winger formed back into a motorcycle and connected with it. I then came down and connected with the Winger. I then lit up with magic power, forming a giant image of me with the foot acting as my own as I soared down at the unbalanced golem. Flames wrapped around me as my Phantom and I crashed into the chest of the golem, planting it in the ground before an explosion literally shook the ground with its demise.

The heat was intense and I had to leap back, even if I was in my Flame Style armor. Landing on the ground on my knees, I struggled to keep my breath even. I couldn't afford to collapse and cost myself a victory. From the flames, WizarDragon roared and soared into the sky in dragon from again before turning into a sphere of fire. The sphere shot down at me and sunk into my chest, filling the void sensation in my heart.

It didn't stop the empty feeling in my gut which was causing my vision to blur.

"Impossible!" Marshall said in shock. "That was my strongest spell!"

"A golem is just a construct," I grunted, standing up. "WizarDragon is the embodiment of my magic made real! Did you really think a lifeless construct stood a chance against a dragon?"

"Grrrrr…" Marshall growled.

"This duel is over… Take your final bow…" I panted as I went back to civilian form.

Stay standing… stay standing… stay standing…

"I will _never_ bow to the likes of you!" Marshall shouted before charging at me. Darn it… I can't move!

"Kurogasa!" Louise cried out.

**BARRIER! NOW!**

HUH?!

A golden magic circle lit up, blocking Marshall's charge. He crashed into the barrier heavily before he fell backwards in a heap on the ground.

"What was that?" A student asked.

"Who cast that spell?" Another questioned as the crowd murmured in confusion and wonder.

We all looked to the left as a familiar white robed masked magician walked towards us. My eyes widened at who it was.

"It's the White Wizard!" Louise gasped.

"Shiroi Mahōtsukai…?" I asked surprised.

He observed both Marshal and I for a moment, not saying anything. I was still wary, both because I didn't know who this guy was and because I couldn't be sure if he wasn't affiliated with the Phantoms or not like the original was.

He went over to Marshall and pulled out two Teleport rings and placed one of them on Marshall's finger, before flipping the Hand Author and placed the ring in front of his WizarDriver.

**TELEPORT! NOW!**

"Hold on!" I shouted.

"Father!" Guiche yelled, as he ran over to him. He was too late as Marshall vanished inside another golden circle, "Where did you take my father?!"

He was silent yet again before saying, "…Home…"

"…Home?" I blinked.

The White Wizard pointed to the wall, showing us the holes in the ground, and the hardening molten rock. "The duel was destructive and had to end before somebody was seriously injured."

"But where is my father?!" demanded Guiche.

"I just told you. His home," the wizard replied. "The Gramont Estate,"

"Oh…" Guiche said.

The White Wizard then looked at me before taking something out of his pocket and threw it to me, landing in front of me. Looking at it, I saw that it was… the Flame Dragon Style ring!

"This is–" I said shocked, but when I looked up…

**TELEPORT! NOW!**

In another flash he was gone, leaving everyone quite confused and some other people in shock at the devastation that Marshall and I had caused in our duel. In hindsight, we really should have put a limit on what kind of spells we were allowed to use. Oh well.

That's when everything came rushing to me. The aches, pains, and dizziness… all in one, before I finally blacked out…

* * *

I woke up in a daze, my vision fuzzy and my stomach growling fiercely. "Ughhhh… I'm hungry…" I groaned. I sat up, rubbing my head and looking around. I was back in Louise's room and it seemed that no one was around. Not even Derflinger was there, which was weird since Louise didn't usually bother with him.

The door opened and Siesta came in with a bucket of water and a hand towel in it and Siesta saw me.

"Kurogasa, you're awake!" Siesta gasped before she put down her bucket and ran over to hug me tight.

"UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Oh the pain! "Ow, Ow, Ow, Siesta, I'm still healing!"

Siesta gasped in realization before she let go and blushed heavily in embarrassment. "I'm s–sorry!"

I groaned, flopping back down onto my bed, "It's…okay. So what's going on?"

"Miss Vallière went to get your dinner. She looked really stressed."

"After today, who can blame her?" I sighed, trying to lose the dizziness I was feeling.

"And what about the Academy…?" I asked. "How are the repairs?"

"Well, the masons arrived quickly and they are assessing the damage," Siesta replied. "You and Lord Gramont certainly did a significant amount. What was he thinking, summoning a large golem like that in a school?"

"His pride is what got him to summon that golem. I only counterattacked with my Phantom." I sighed.

"Well, I think you were much more impressive," Siesta beamed. "That dragon was kind of scary though."

"Not really, he's just grumpy and stubborn." I waved off.

_**'I **_**HEARD**_** THAT!'**_ Dragon shouted in my mind.

"But… was it truly your Phantom? The same kind of creature that appeared inside of me?" asked Siesta.

"Each Phantom is different." I said. "Dragon is my Inner Phantom, and Pegasus is… well _was_ yours, until I destroyed Pegasus."

"I see." Siesta nodded. "Well, I should leave you to rest until Miss Vallière brings back dinner. Maybe I should go find her and bring it back if she's indisposed?"

"Sure, that would be nice. Thanks." I smiled gently.

Siesta nodded and left the room again, leaving me alone to try and get my bearings back. I was still worried about the White Wizard. Just what was his game? That's when I remembered that he also gave the Flame Dragon Style ring. I looked around and saw it on the nightstand and took it to examine it.

It looked like the Ring I needed to upgrade my power. The question was how did the White Wizard get it and why did he give it to me? I mean true, when I first got here, my Dragon and Special Rings along with the Infinity Ring were gone. Did he find them and just wanted to give them back to me? Or was it something more?

Somehow, I felt it was something more.

Whatever it is, one thing's for certain: I have a feeling that things are about to get more dangerous than ever.

* * *

There you have it guys! The White appeared yet again and he gave him his Flame Dragon Ring! I mean seriously, who is this new White Wizard? Well, you guys are gonna have to keep on reading! Until next time, see ya!


	8. Louise… in Love?

Hey there everyone! It's Fenikkusumaru! Here again to present to you the latest chapter of Wizard of Zero! I got another surprise for ya! Another Phantom we all know too well is going to appear other than Medusa! Who you ask? Well, find out and read!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

The days since Marshall Gramont came were tense for a while. Guiche was a nervous wreck until word came from his mother that he had just appeared at their home in a flash of light, demanding to know what became of a duel he was in. Since Marshall had summoned the golem which damaged part of the school when I had to retaliate in kind, he had to help pay for the repairs. That was good since I was broke. Colbert wouldn't leave me alone for a while, wanting to study my Inner Phantom though. I wanted to help him, but after the duel ended the Miracle Ring turned dark and I couldn't get it to work anymore. I just hoped that it wasn't a one–time only thing.

When Louise got back to her room with dinner in tow that night, she slapped me in the cheek for pulling off such a stunt. I knew the risks I was willing to take. That Centurion construct was gonna pummel me for sure, if I didn't do something about it. On the bright side, Marteau and Siesta thought I was even more incredible than before by standing up to Marshall, a man high in the military like I did.

As of now, after recovering from the duel, I've been doing a little project as of late. Since summer vacation is gonna be for another few weeks or so, I decided to busy myself with making a small one story Edo Period Japanese House as my living quarters.

Hey, I'm not going to stay sleeping in Louise's bed forever y'know.

For a number of days, I've been going to the forest of LaRochelle using my magic to cut some trees and chop them into wood for me to use. I even then went over to town to gather other building supplies I would need to build my house too. Mr. Colbert even offered to help and I was more than happy to let him do that.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'how could a guy from the modern world know how to build an Edo–style house and have the experience to make one?; Well, if there was any subject in history I can say could have earned me a scholarship somewhere, it was history. My best area was Japanese history. I knew how to build a house like the one I had in mind because I made a miniature version for a history project. Building an actual sized one couldn't be too much different, just bigger than what I remembered. While I didn't have much in terms of tools, I did have the knowledge to make designs and with Colbert and my magic I managed to cut the pieces I needed. I managed to sell him on the project since he was deeply interested in things from my world and the chance to examine a cultural aspect of my homeland was more than enough incentive.

"How interesting," Colbert said impressed. "I must admit, the design of this house you're building is rather unique."

"It's a rather open design, supposed to promote positive flow through the household," I explained since the house's layout was rather open. On the plus side, it was easy to find everything and not get lost like in the castle. The number of times I got lost in there…

"Are all the homes in your world like this?" Colbert asked.

"No. There are only several of these kinds of home spread throughout my country." I said. "Houses like the one I'm building are a thing of the past, but my country still embraces it so we can understand its rich history and culture."

"Ah, it sounds so interesting," Colbert smiled. "I would so love to visit one day."

"Well, who knows? You might get your chance one day," I looked over the designs for the house and making sure that the pieces were coming together properly. I didn't want to have the place finished only to collapse while I was in it.

"So, do you have any other intentions for this place when it is finished aside from staying here?" asked Colbert.

"Well, entertain guests I suppose," I shrugged. "That's what the sitting room is for."

"I see."

"Hmm… Maybe I could add an onsen in there too while I'm at it."

"An on… what…?" Colbert asked confused.

"Oh I'm sorry." I apologized. "I meant hot spring. Onsen is just another word for it in my language."

"Oh, that sounds interesting," Colbert nodded. "Does it hold any significance?"

"Well, it's another cultural significant thing, but it's also like having a natural bath," I replied. "Although I'd have to settle for an artificial one instead of the natural one and the latter are considered so luxurious back home. Now how to do that though…"

"Hmmm…" Colbert said as he looked around and noticed Marteau… rolling a very huge, large pot? "Maybe you can use that for an artificial hot spring." He said, pointing to the said pot.

I glanced at it, surprised to see just how massive the pot was. I mean, one could have cooked a whole cow inside of the thing. It was just that big. It was kind of dented and looked like the edges were beginning to crack. The fact the resident cook could even move it was amazing. Marteau looked like he was going to toss it away too so maybe this was my chance.

"Hey, Marteau," I called, jogging over to the man.

"Hm…? Oh, hello Kurogasa," the man smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was actually going to ask about that pot," I pointed to said pot. "Are you getting rid of it?"

"Yes, I have to," Marteau sighed. "It's gotten pretty dinged up and food I cook in it is starting to taste like metal since the coating is starting to come off. The school's already ordered a new one so I'm going to send this off to the blacksmith so it can be melted down to make more tools. Why? Are you interested in it?"

"I have a special project and this pot looks like it would be perfect," I smiled. "I don't need it for cooking though. I just need to know if it can still boil water."

Marteau laughed, "Ah, it can do that easily. Well, if you want it then you're welcome to it. It saves me the trouble of hiring some horses to haul it, even if it is at the school's expense."

"Thanks!" I grinned, testing the weight of the pot. I could already plan out how I would set it up. Maybe make a stone platform to rest the pot on so a small bonfire could be held underneath. I didn't want it too close to the fire or else I'd burn my feet on the bottom or boil myself. There was a sweet science to a homemade onsen and one I'd have to learn on the fly.

"Alright, time for me to work my magic carrying this thing." I said before slipping on a ring and placed it over the Hand Author buckle.

**BIG! PLEASE!**

I stuck my hand through the magic circle, allowing it to grow to the size I could carry the pot with one hand. Hefting the item up, I began carrying it back to my construction project. Maybe conferring a bit with Colbert could help me figure out how to make the right stone platform. The man often messed with chemistry so he'd know best how to regulate temperatures.

"Alright, I got the pot."

"Excellent." Colbert smiled.

"Now I just need the right stone platform to regulate the temperature." I added.

"Ah, then I can help with that," Colbert nodded, proving my guess right. "Many of my experiments depend on temperatures being within a certain range. I sometimes use thin slabs of stone to block off the worst of the higher temperatures. One of the Earth Mages on staff usually helps me with that."

"Great! Let's get started!" I grinned.

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical_ _Wizard_ _Rings:_ _It contains_ _the power of the four_ _elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of_ _Despair, a familiar with_ _modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the_ _Jewel of Hope: Kamen_ _Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 8: Louise… in Love?

_Meanwhile…_

**"Alseid and Asura have failed us Lord Wiseman."** _Medusa bowed._ **"They were defeated by the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai."**

**"This is becoming bothersome,"** _Wiseman frowned._ **"This Mahōtsukai is just as meddlesome as the first."**

**"What shall we do?"** _Medusa asked._

**"Hmmm…"** _Wiseman pondered._ **"I think I may have someone in mind."**

**"Someone thinking about me?" **_a new voice cut in, the owner of that voice appearing from behind a chair which couldn't have hidden him._

**"Yes. I was just thinking about you. You heard our conversation?" **_Wiseman asked._

**"I sure did." **_The voice chirped._

**"Then you know what to do."**

**"One dead wizard, coming up!" **_the Phantom chuckled, leaping behind the chair again to vanish once more._

**"Do you really think he could defeat the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai?" **_Medusa asked._

_Wiseman shrugged,_** "I doubt he'll fight the Mahōtsukai himself just yet. Once he's sure he can win though, the annoyance will be dealt with."**

**"Of course Wiseman," **_Medusa said._

* * *

"Whew," I sighed, looking at my new home. You know, maybe the nobles were onto something with magic construction. This was going way faster than what I expected.

"It looks incredible!" Colbert smiled, as we stepped back to look at the new home.

"Thanks," I nodded. "Maybe now I can rest comfortably on a futon instead of a pile of straw."

"Futon…?" Colbert asked confused.

"Oh, right. It's a kind of sleeping roll I use for a bed."

"Ah," the teacher nodded. "So do you have any plans with your sitting room? Sharing your culture with the students?"

"I wouldn't mind. Heh, who knows? Maybe I can do a class on it." I chuckled.

I sort of doubted it. Granted my circle of friends might be interested. The rest, I doubted. They were happy to remain snobby in their insular world. They wouldn't care about a foreign culture and may actually just make fun of it, showing how they thought they were so much better.

"You would?!" Colbert asked in excitement.

Wait, he thinks I'm serious?!

"Uh…" I blinked.

"Oh wonderful!" he smiled. "Studying a foreign culture is such a rare experience! I'd love to share that with the students! Perhaps you could explain your country's style of magic in comparison to our own?"

"Uh…" I blinked again. Okay, he was like a little kid who got his birthday present early. If I told him no I'd feel like I was kicking a puppy. "Maybe… when things have settled down?" I winced.

"Of course, you need to get settled in first," Colbert agreed.

Phew… that was a close call. "Well, I don't know about you, but after working all day, I think an evening bath would do the trick."

"Alright, I shall leave you to that then." Colbert nodded.

"Thanks for all your help Professor Colbert." I said.

"Oh it's no problem." Colbert smiled. "I'm glad I could help." With that, he left on his way back to his office.

With that, I looked at my new house and rubbed my hands together in excitement. "Onsen, here I come!"

* * *

My new onsen was set at the back of the house and I took the care to put up a high fence. Since my house was situated in the courtyard I didn't want anyone to wander into it and see me. I decorated the area with rocks and sand like a Zen garden just for fun. I layered rocks around the pot itself with a stone slab under it to keep the heat of the hidden fireplace from making the water or the pot too hot All I had to do was fill the pot with water, which took a few buckets from the well and then some firewood made from the leftovers of the wood carving, and soon the water was boiling at a comfortable temperature.

"Ahhhh," I sighed, slipping into the water. "Now this makes all the hard work worth it."

Nothing beats the onsen. It never does. Looking up at the night sky, I've been thinking about the crazy adventure I've had thus far.

I used to be a fanboy who ended up here, somehow manifested my magic from a television show made real, and now I've been fighting Phantoms and spoiled nobles. It was an adventure to be sure, but I still missed home and found my thoughts drifting to how I could get back if I could. Still, at least I made some nice friends while I was here.

"Kurogasa, where are you?"

Like Siesta. That maid was cute and she was really nice. I may have starved if I hadn't been able to make friends with her.

"Kurogasa, are you here? I brought dinner."

Wait a minute …Siesta?!

I blinked and turned around to my little house and almost choked when the door to the onsen opened, revealing the maid with a plate of food. "S–Siesta, what are you doing here?!" I stuttered.

Siesta turned red, blinking at me, "Um… I wanted to give you d–d–dinner. W–What is all this?"

"Huh? Oh, um… it's my uh… um… outdoor bathtub?"

Siesta's natural curiosity seemed to outshine her embarrassment as she set the plate of food down, "Oh? It looks nice. Can I try?"

"Uh… yeah, sure I guess." I said. Wait a minute! What am I saying?!

Well, Siesta would just wait for me to get out and when she was done we could share dinner and… OH NO, WHY IS SHE TAKING OFF HER CLOTHES?!

"SIESTA, YOU CAN'T TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES IN FRONT OF ME!" I panicked.

I quickly turned away so I wouldn't be tempted to look more. I heard more shuffling, but I assumed that she was putting her clothes back on so I could get out and put this awkward moment behind us. After a few moments, I assumed she left but then I heard a splash and my eyes bulged. I turned and I felt my nose feel like a high pressure hose was about to go off.

There sitting in the water was an unclothed Siesta whose only means of protecting her modesty was a towel she picked up from the house. The water wasn't cloudy like it would be in a normal onsen, so I could see plenty of her body. Wow…

"Oh, it does feel nice," Siesta smiled, with her cheeks rosy.

"Uh… yeah…" I said before turning away a bit.

Siesta smiled and made small motions of pushing her hand through the water, "Is this how everyone in your country bathes?"

"Sometimes yes," I said. Yeah, when there's a barrier between the men and the women!

Well, except for some inns but… NO! Don't think about that! "What we actually do is clean ourselves separately then we soak up in the hot water. That way we can just enjoy being submerged and not have to rest in dirty water."

"I see." Siesta smiled. "I'd like try to that sometime."

Well technically you're doing it now… oh man did she make it look good too… WAIT! STOP THINKING LIKE THAT!

"I think it makes it more fun when there's company though," Siesta smiled, cheeks pink either from the situation or the heat of the water.

GAAAHHH, NO DIRTY THOUGHTS! BAD!

I took all my self–control not to just bang by head on one of the rocks to prevent myself from thinking dirty thoughts. I already had to change my seating to hide my… uh… reaction from Siesta. There was no denying it once I got a good look at her in the bath. Okay, just stay calm… don't stare too hard… concentrate on her face… not her sizable NO! GAH! Just her face! Not her nice rear or big bust or her–! AHHH! I'M DOING IT AGAIN!

"Are you okay, Kurogasa? You look red." Siesta said concerned.

"Just… fine," I mumbled, sinking into the water, curling up so my feet wouldn't touch Siesta. I would just blow bubbles. There, I could concentrate on that instead of Siesta.

"Oh ok." Siesta said. "Tell me Kurogasa, what is your country like?" She asked.

Now that was something I could focus on, "Well, it's nice. We have a nice mix of modern and tradition. Some places can be densely populated though so the buildings can be pretty tightly packed together or can reach pretty high to fit all the people. Open space sells pretty high. Magic is pretty rare though. Most people think it's only the stuff from stories. I thought the same until I got here and my Phantom manifested. I honestly collected the rings for fun and not to use them."

"It must be nice." Siesta said.

"Yeah, it is. Also, there's no monarchy, there's only one moon, and everything runs on electricity too."

"Now you're just teasing me," Siesta huffed.

"No, I'm serious." I insisted. "Well, we do have an emperor but he and his family let the government of elected officials run the country instead of doing it themselves. They do have a hand in the important things though."

"Why is that?" Siesta asked.

"Well, things change as time goes by." I said.

I explained to her that my country had a revolution we called the Meiji Revolution, people who took sides between the emperor who they felt was the true leader and the shogunate, or nobility. The emperor embraced new traditions and means of ruling while the shogunate wanted to keep things the way they were because it would mean their power would be diminished. That revolution was also the start of change, how my country continued to evolve and grow with the people as a whole eventually deciding how things would work rather than the elite few.

She was absolutely fascinated by the story and I was glad she enjoyed it so much.

"Wow… your country has changed a lot." Siesta said amazed.

"Any length of time brings change," I shrugged. "Just the big battles and conflicts tend to be what makes people notice those changes."

"I see…" Siesta said. "Well, I must get going. I've stayed here too long."

"Um… sure," I nodded as Siesta moved to get out. I looked away again, trying to crush the temptation. I waited until I heard the noise of cloth being moved. Once it ended, I looked up to see Siesta buttoning up her outfit again. I finally felt some relief at that. I was going to be tense for a while as it was.

"Thank you for letting try the outdoor bathtub. I enjoyed it." Siesta smiled.

"Uh… yeah, me too…" I said.

Oh my dreams were going to be… vivid tonight…

* * *

_"Where is that Kurogasa?" Louise growled, as she stomped all over the place trying to look for him. _

_She was a little steamed still about Kirche's latest attempt to get his attention before she left. Although the redhead wasn't there, Louise wanted to make absolutely sure that he didn't have any funny ideas about Kirche or any other girl. Now that he had a taste of Jeanne, who knew what funny ideas he would get about some other girl at the school. He seemed awfully close to that maid since he first came to the Academy._

_"He better not be, doing anything funny…" Louise growled again._

_Louise stomped around, coming through the courtyard in her search. Entering one section, she came across the one story house which her Familiar had built. She knew he was building his own place to live, not that she liked it since a Familiar's place was by their master, but Kurogasa was a human and not an animal. She blinked at the sight, finding the architecture strange but tasteful._

_And that was when she saw the maid leave the house with flushed cheeks and a silly smile on her lips. Louise's eye twitched, her teeth grinded, and she was very ticked off. "That idiotic dog…!"_

_He did it again! He slept with another girl! Oh it made sense! He'd follow any woman who told him a sweet story and flashed some thigh! That was where Kirche kept failing! She was too obvious of her intentions! Ooooh!_

_"THAT DOG!" she snarled._

_But as much as she wanted to go and explode her anger on him, she couldn't because she didn't want to ruin the house that Kurogasa built._

_As much as he richly deserved punishment, she wasn't going to be so petty as to just destroy his residence. No, she would wait for him to come out and punish him then! Her issue was waiting so she decided to go stomp around the courtyard and stew, imagining the sweet punishment she'd put down on her dog of a Familiar._

_As she stomped around, she noticed Montmorency and Guiche having an evening dinner together and saw two drinks there. She needed to cool off so downing a drink should probably help._

_"I'm drinking this!" Louise snapped, snagging Guiche's drink and not noticing Montmorency blanch in horror as she guzzled it down._

_"Uh… Louise?" Guiche blinked._

'Oh no… she drank it!'_ Montmorency thought in horror._

_Louise slammed the glass down and stomped away, ignoring the rising heat in her stomach which she attributed to anger._

_"Stupid Kurogasa…" Louise grumbled. While she grumbled… why was she feeling drowsy?_

* * *

I got out of the bath at long last. Having Siesta in there was a treat in itself I have to admit. I'd never say it out loud where anyone could hear but I could at least admit it. So after I got dressed, I decided to head up to Louise's room to grab my things so I could spend my first night in my new home. It would be better than sleeping on a bed of straw at least.

And the dinner Siesta brought was good too. I'd have to do something nice for her later.

I yawned as I headed up the dormitory steps, "Man, tonight is going to be a good night for sleep."

I went up the stairs and up to Louise's room and when I did, I saw Derflinger leaning on the wall with Louise sitting on the bed looking… strange for some reason. Is she okay?

"Louise, are you feeling okay?" I asked, approaching her to feel her forehead. She seemed to flushed and hot. "Your temperature is running kind of high."

"What are you talking about?" Louise asked, with her speech somewhat slurred.

"Okay, now something is wrong," I frowned. Her voice slurred, high temperatures and it looked like she was nodding off. Something had to be wrong. "Louise, I want you to lie down while I check to see if the infirmary still has someone up."

"No…" Louise said.

"Huh? What do you _mean_ no?" I asked incredulously.

That was when the unexpected happened. She pounced on me to the floor and kissed me?!

"Idiot, Idiot, Idiot!" Louise sobbed, coming up for air. "How could you keep pushing me away for that maid, or that waitress girl? Telling me to stay here while you're always going off! Can't you tell how much I love you?"

EXCUSE ME?!

"I love you Kurogasa!" Louise shouted then kissed me again. This isn't an innocent kiss either! This is an 'open your mouth so our tongues can play' kind of kiss! What is _wrong_ with her?!

"MPH!" I gasped and with some effort, managed to push her off of me. For someone so small you wouldn't think she was so strong! She tried jumping me again, but I managed to catch her and pin her down.

"Oh, Kurogasa," Louise blushed in delight. "P–Please be, gentle. It will be my first time."

NO WAY I'M GONNA BE DOING THAT! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, looks like Louise is the victim of a love potion!" Derf laughed.

"HUH?!" I asked incredulously, turning to Derf. Those things actually exist?!

"Sure Partner. You wouldn't believe the number of my previous partners that got hit by one," Derflinger snickered. "I recognize one a mile away! Looks like the girl got a pretty good dose too. And the girl's finally deciding to stake her claim!"

"Why would she want to drink a love potion in the first place?" I snapped.

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

Oh no. Don't let someone see us like this!

"Sir Kurogasa, are you in there?" Montmorency's voice asked. "We need to talk."

"I'm a little busy at the moment!" I yelped and Louise slipped from my grasp and proceeded to try and fondle me. "Louise! No! Bad touch! Bad touch!"

"But I love you!" Louise whined.

The door immediately opened and there stood Montmorency, looking quite pale as she took in the scene between me and Louise. I was in a word, mortified at what was happening. Louise didn't seem to notice as she tried to undress me. Derflinger was just laughing and Montmorency looked like she had stumbled upon something horrifying.

"Montmorency, can you please slow– oh dear…" Guiche mumbled as he arrived at the room too.

"Oh I knew it…" Montmorency face palmed.

"You knew it?" I said in confusion.

* * *

"YOU MADE THAT LOVE POTION?!" I shrieked at Montmorency. Thankfully, I used the Sleep Ring on Louise and she didn't wake up from my scream.

"I didn't mean for Louise to drink it! It was for Guiche!" Montmorency snapped back.

Guiche gaped, "What?! My lovely Montmorency, how could you?! You know my love for you is as grand as–!"

"Only until the next pretty girl comes along," Montmorency growled, making Guiche flinch. "Remember how I distracted you: 'Oh look, a flying beautiful woman!' You fell for that so easily!"

"Ughhhh…" Guiche groaned.

"That's not the point anymore!" I snapped, catching their attention. "What matters is that we turn Louise back to normal. Montmorency how long until the love potion wears off?"

"Um… not long," Montmorency replied weakly. "Six months… maybe a year?"

My eye twitched and she flinched. "Not good enough! I want you to fix this now!"

"I can't!" Montmorency retorted. "The main ingredient I need for an antidote is incredibly rare and almost impossible to get! You'll just have to wait!"

Derflinger then decided to open his mouth or what passed as one, "You know Partner, I think love potions are illegal these days."

That's when I _really_ blew my top off, "THEY'RE WHAT?!"

"Oh look at the time!" Montmorency as she turned to leave the room. I quickly grasped the back of her uniform, lifting her off of the ground.

I then turned around to face me and…

**BIND! PLEASE!**

I bound her with chains.

"What are you doing?! Release me this instant!" Montmorency panicked.

"Montmorency…" I said.

"Y–Yes…?" She squeaked.

"Tell me… what elements do I have?" I asked.

"What?"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

"All four!" she squeaked.

"Name them!"

"Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth," Montmorency quickly replied.

"Where are you going with this?" Guiche asked fearfully.

"Well, you see Guiche…" I began darkly. "I'm going to torture her with one of these elements until she makes the antidote… Option 1 would be to burn her. Option 2 would be drowning her. Option 3 would be cutting off her air supply. And Option 4 would be burying her six feet under!" I then yelled to Montmorency, "SO UNLESS YOU WANT ONE OF THOSE OPTIONS, I SUGGEST YOU START MAKING THE ANTIDOTE NOW!"

I admit that I was being beyond harsh, but this wasn't some schoolyard squabble. Louise had been in effect drugged by an illegal substance. If this had happened in daylight or during the regular school days it could've destroyed Louise's reputation and humiliated her with the stunts she'd have pulled for whichever boy she focused on. Her family would become involved and who could tell what would've happened unless someone discerned a love potion was involved. Even if it was discovered, the Vallière family could've taken it as an assault on them and things would have really gotten messy.

"Okay, okay, okay! I'll do it! Just don't kill me please!" Montmorency sobbed as tears streamed down her eyes.

Oka~y, maybe I was over the top…

I dismissed the chains and set Montmorency down. She tried wiping her eyes as Guiche tended to her. Once her face was clear, she tried to reclaim her composure but it was obvious that she was afraid of me, "We…We need a tear of the Water Spirit. I… I don't have one. W–W–We have to go to the Lagdorian Lake."

"And where exactly is this lake?" I asked calmly.

"A day's ride from here," Montmorency replied. "But just getting there isn't the hard part. Getting the tear is. The Water Spirit lives at the lake and getting her favor to even ask for a tear is near impossible. My family does have that favor, but the Water Spirit is moody and doesn't always listen."

"Then I'll convince her." I said. "You two get some rest. We're going to wake up early. And bring your chemistry set too Montmorency. You're making the antidote right then and there as soon as we get the Tear."

"R–Right," Montmorency gulped before she all but dashed from the room. Guiche quickly followed, but not before tossing me a look over his shoulder before he did so. He likely remembered when I kicked his butt in a duel. At least I was nice about it when I beat him. I wasn't so nice with his girlfriend when she drugged Louise.

I better apologize to her later after all of this is over… Seriously, what is wrong with me?

* * *

As soon as the dawn came, we loaded up and headed out towards the lake where the Water Spirit resided. We had some trouble getting ready since first Louise didn't want to stop snuggling and she insisted on holding my hand all the time and riding with me. Montmorency wasn't an early riser so Guiche had to coax her awake and remind her what we were doing.

So now I was on the Machine Winger with Louise behind me as Montmorency and Guiche were on a horse. I had to be a bit slower because I know for sure that a motorcycle could definitely outrun a horse.

"How can that contraption move without a horse?" asked Guiche, stunned at my machine.

"Trust me. You'd never understand if I explain it." I answered.

"Oh Kurogasa…" Louise sighed as she snuggled into my chest. Good grief, this better be worth it when all of this is over.

After traveling on the road, stopping every now and then for a break because of the horse needing rest, we finally arrived at the lake, but…

"Is the lake really this high?" I asked.

The lake was simply massive, large to the point where I could see trees coming out of its surface. Strangely enough, the path we were on seemed to end at its shores. Why was that?

"No, the lake is never usually this big," Montmorency frowned. "Something must have angered the Water Spirit if it decided to flood its own lake like this. This isn't good."

"Great…" I frowned. Looking over the surface of the water, I could see more signs of destruction. There were the tops of houses sticking out from the top. I missed them before since they were just under the surface of the water. Only the pointed top of a church broke the surface and I had mistaken it as a tree. "Well, I better figure out what's wrong then." I said, before placing the Driver on Ring on my finger and placing it in front of the Hand Author buckle.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

"What are you going to do?" asked Guiche.

"I'm going to meet the Water Spirit itself." I said before placing the Water Style ring on my left hand. And after getting off the Machine Winger and letting go of Louise, I flipped the Hand Author to my left, "Henshin!"

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

I soon changed into Water Style and after that, jumped into the lake.

I was pretty sure I heard Louise cry out for me, but I was already under the water by then. My magic allowed me to coast along with ease, heading deeper under the water. "Now if I were a Water Spirit, where would I be?" I asked myself. I looked deeper, seeing a large indent at the bottom, probably where the original lake was. So deciding to go there, I swam to that location and it looked murky and dark. No surprise there. But then… my magic senses tingled. Something was _definitely_ down here.

_'Well, no time like the present,'_ I thought before I began to swim closer to the bottom.

As soon as I hit the bottom, the magic senses suddenly got stronger and the water around me began to stir. "Okay," I murmured. "Let's do things calmly and civilized. Don't tick off the ancient elemental."

Soon part of the water in front of me swirled in a vortex, and a clear visible water blob of what appeared to be a person appeared, _**"What are you, strange little thing?"**_ the blob asked me. _**"Why are you in my domain?"**_

Okay, time to go Optimus Prime on her. "My name is Kurogasa Kururugi, also known as Kamen Rider Wizard." I introduced. "I come to you as an ambassador of the human beings from above to resolve our differences and bring peace between us."

The Water Spirit was silent for a moment. Finally, the head perked as it began to speak, _**"I demand the return of what is mine. I will not suffer hindrances. Leave my realm."**_

I perked, "Something was stolen from you?" Wow, no wonder it was ticked off and flooding the land.

_**"Yes. I seek its return and extend my reach so to reclaim it,"**_ the Water Spirit explained. _**"Go back to your masters. I will not stop until I have reclaimed it."**_

"There is no need to extend your reach." I said. "What if I reclaim what was stolen from you in your stead? Would you reconsider?"

The Water Spirit shifted slightly, but if it had eyes I think it would've narrowed its eyes at me in suspicion, _**"Why do you offer? Humans do not extend anything unless they wish for something in return."**_

I lowered my head, "It is true that I do wish for something. What I ask in return for searching for your lost relic is a tear." I looked up. "A tear so that someone may be cured of an affliction that ails them!"

The Water Spirit was silent, _**"…I see. If you wish for this task in return for a piece of me, then you must first prove I can trust you. To earn that trust, you must complete another task for me."**_

"Name it." I nodded.

_**"I have been attacked several times in the previous days."**_ the Water Spirit explained. _**"I wish for the attacks to stop. Do this and I will grant you your task as well as a piece of me…"**_

"You have my word." I nodded. "I will see to it that the task will be complete."

_**"Then be off with you."**_ the Water Spirit spoke before her vessel dissolved into normal water again. I turned around and swam back to the surface, launching myself out of the water and landing on the shores again. Looking about, I saw the others nearby where they were making a camp. Louise looked like she was crying and Montmorency was freaking out about something to Guiche.

"You're back!" Guiche gasped.

"What did the Water Spirit say?" Montmorency asked.

"Well, seems like someone stole something from it. That's why it's flooding everything. Eventually it figures it will find what was taken and get it back," I reported.

"WHAT?" Montmorency screamed. "What kind of idiot would dare try to steal anything from the Water Spirit? Who could even pull it off in the first place?!"

"Don't know, but they did it." I shrugged. "The Water Spirit is willing to part with a tear if I take up the task of getting it back though." I almost had to groan at what I had to report next. "The problem is that it won't let us have it until we get rid of some folks that are attacking it likely because of the flooding."

Montmorency opened her mouth again to whine, but the sounds of sniffling cut her off and we turned to see Louise sitting on a log, looking about to cry.

"Oh what now?" the blonde girl huffed.

"Kurogasa…" Louise whimpered. "Why won't you come over and hug me? I'm lonely!"

Oh boy this is gonna be a long day…

* * *

We had to wait for night since that was when we figured the attackers would come so the Water Spirit couldn't see them as clearly. When I talked with Montmorency and Guiche, they said to me the attackers were likely using an advanced Air Spell to cover them in a dome of wind which allowed them to travel underwater. It had to be kept up, so the attackers probably had help to do the actual attacking.

I had to use the Sleep Ring to keep Louise quiet because she kept on whining about leaving her.

"Was the love potion really necessary Montmorency?" I groaned after Louise snoozed off on a blanket I set out for her. "There are other ways to make a man stay faithful."

"I'm trying to keep my man on the narrow and straight!" Montmorency huffed.

"But Montmorency…" Guiche whined.

"Okay, Guiche, just don't speak. We all know you're a Casanova," I deadpanned, causing Guiche to flinch. "A love potion seems kind of extreme. I mean, look at what's happening to Louise."

"Blame Louise for suddenly drinking without knowing…"

I groaned a bit at that. It was a bit silent before I said, "Um… look, I uh… I want apologize for threatening you yesterday…"

"Hmph," Montmorency huffed. "Well, you should be! You had a right to be angry, but not to threaten me like you did!"

"Montmorency…" Guiche winced.

"I didn't mean to be like that…" I continued. "I was wrong and I overreacted. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

Montmorency looked at me before sighing, "Just don't tell the faculty what I did then I shall forgive you."

"Deal," I nodded. Just then, we suddenly heard rustling from the nearby bushes. "Showtime," I stood up, gesturing for Guiche to follow me. He nodded as he followed. "Montmorency, guard Louise." I whispered.

"Right," the blonde girl whispered, suddenly afraid again. We were dealing with people who had the audacity to attack an elemental. It was just plain logical to be scared. With that, Guiche and I went over to where the perpetrators might be and hidden behind the trees, we saw two hooded figures approaching the lake.

"Okay, you distract the two with some kind of big spell. Something flashy," I instructed.

"I can do that." Guiche nodded.

"Good. And then I can use my Light Ring to blind them to submission."

Well, it was a simple plan but you know what they said about simple plans: Murphy's Law and all that. The two figures pulled out their wands to ready their attacks, "Now Guiche!"

Guiche didn't disappoint as he caused a wave of dirt to rise up from the ground and surge towards the duo. The two noticed the predicament and blasted fire and wind at the dirt to scatter it.

Guiche continued sending smaller waves of dirt to keep the pair distracted as I flanked them. Between the ice shards cutting apart the smaller waves and the fireballs blasting the bigger ones, they were paying not attention to me. Coming around by the pair, I slipped on the Light Ring.

"Here goes…" I muttered before standing. "Hey! Over here!"

**LIGHT! PLEASE!**

I raised my hand holding the Light Ring and it shined really bright.

The pair cried out in pain, clutching at their faces as they stumbled blind. They sounded oddly feminine, but I didn't have much time to consider it when one of Guiche's spells hit them, knocking them both to the ground with the dirt pinning them.

When the light faded, the pair was revealed to be… wait a minute, Kirche and Tabitha?!

"You've got to be kidding me." I groaned. "Kirche, why are you and Tabitha here?"

"Huh?" Kirche said before noticing me, "Darling!" She exclaimed, but then looked confused, "Wait, what are you doing here?"

"I'd like to say the same thing." I frowned.

Kirche fought with the soil on her before she stood up. Her eyesight wasn't so good so when she lunged at me, she missed entirely and landed with a light 'oof'. That served to make me chuckle, at least giving me a lighter note for the night.

Tabitha managed to get out of the dirt too and a while later, everybody met up so we all can share our story.

"Well, it goes like this." Kirche explained, sexily leaning back on her log seat so her chest was on full display as she hung one leg over the other. She had Guiche's undivided attention, but not on her story. "Tabitha's been tasked by the Gallian King to stop the Water Spirit from flooding the lake since it's starting to spread into Gallian territory."

"And you thought attacking an elemental spirit was the way to go?" I asked.

"That's what we thought." Kirche said. "But I guess _you_ have a better reason?"

"Well, I considered reasoning with it and I talked to it today." I replied, causing the two to blink. "The reason it's flooding the place is because someone stole something from it." That news caused Tabitha and Kirche's eyes to widen in shock. "I may be able to convince it to stop now that I've gotten the two of you to stop attacking it."

"Is that so?" Tabitha asked. I nodded at that.

"By the way, what is up with Louise?" Kirche asked, pointing to Louise, who was still sleeping… as she laid her head on my lap.

"Trust me you don't want to know…" I sweat dropped.

"Oooh," Kirche began to grin. "That makes me want to know more. Come on, tell me pretty please?" She presented her chest for my viewing pleasure to try and convince me.

"I said no. It is sensitive information," I frowned.

"Awww…" Kirche frowned.

"In any case, I better tell the Water Spirit." I sighed.

* * *

So with that, I changed into Water Style and jumped into the bottom of the lake again to meet with the Water Spirit. When I got there, the Water Spirit presented itself. "Water Spirit, I have returned and completed the task that you requested. The perpetrators shall no longer harm you."

_**"Excellent. You have been proven trustworthy."**_ the Water Spirit acknowledged.

"However…" I continued, making it look at me again. "The humans have felt the need to attack because of your flooding water. If you were to let the waters return then they would no longer strike at you. As promised for the tear, I will take up the search for your lost treasure so you no longer need to flood the lands."

The Water Spirit remained quiet.

_**"Very well,"**_ the Water Spirit nodded. _**"I will bring back my waters in favor of sending you. What was stolen from me was my treasure, the Ring of Andavari. It holds the ability to bring semblance of life to those that have died, among other abilities that I do not care for."**_ A small sphere of water appeared in front of me, which formed into the image of a ring with a plan band and a square jewel mounted on top. It was made of water, so there was no way to tell what colors it was. _**"It was stolen by a man by the name of Cromwell. That is all I know."**_

A ring that can bring the dead back to life…? That's a power only an act of God can do and is not something to trifle with. Why would this Cromwell want to steal this ring anyway? He's stupid if he thinks he could get away with it!

"I understand." I nodded to the Water Spirit. "I will hunt down this ring or die trying."

_**"I will hold you to that."**_ the Water Spirit intoned darkly.

"You can rest assured. I, the Jewel of Hope, Kamen Rider Wizard will retrieve the Ring of Andavari. This I promise you."

_**"A man with the soul of a Dragon is a force to be reckoned with."**_ the Water Spirit nodded as its form began to dissolve. _**"I wish you luck."**_

Wait, she could see my Phantom?!

Before I could ask, the Water Spirit was gone and I had no choice but to return to my friends. However, before I left, I noticed a small glass bottle on the bottom of the lake and I assumed it to be the Water Spirit's Tear. So taking it, I returned to the surface.

* * *

I returned to the surface and after giving the tear to Montmorency, she took out her chemistry set and went to work on it. It didn't take very long and she was able to finish it too. I could say what I wanted about the girl, but she apparently knew her chemistry.

She then had Louise drink the antidote and was finally back, to her normal self. …However…

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID ALL THAT!"

She remembered everything that happened…

"Okay, Louise, just calm down." I tried to reason with her.

"HOW CAN I?! I CAN'T BELIEVE I WOULD DO SOMETHING SO, DIRTY AND LOWLY AS THAT! MY REPUTATION IS RUINED!"

"Louise, the only people who knew about it are here!" I tried to remind her. "They all know it's a love potion! No one else knows!"

"Ooooh, Louise drank a love potion? My, my, Vallière, I didn't know you were getting _that_ desperate." Kirche chuckled. Crap… I completely forgot that I didn't tell her about the love potion and I already spilled the beans!

"I didn't make it! "The Flood" dosed me!" Louise snapped.

"Well you're the one who drank it without realizing what was in it!" Montmorency retaliated.

"Who would think a love potion would be in their wine?!" demanded Louise. "Who would need to dose their boyfriend in the first place?!"

"Ok, stop fighting girls." I said, playing peacemaker as I got between the two. "All that matters is that, you Louise are back to your normal self."

"Can we go home now?" asked Guiche, tired from using so much magic.

"Yeah, we can go home now." I sighed.

_**"Hehehehehehehehe… I found you Mahōtsukai!"**_

My eyes widened at the voice! I know that eerie voice anywhere! It _can't_ be him!

We all looked towards a tree where a figure was sitting, clapping in amusement. He was clad in green and black armor which fitted him from head to toe. His legs were black while his chest and arms were green. His shoulder pads were shaped like beast heads. His face was hard to discern, looking like a helmet plate for some kind with no eye holes or mouth holes.

I gritted my teeth in anger when my thoughts were confirmed, "Gremlin!"

_**"Wow! You're quick!"**_ the Phantom giggled at me. _**"You knew who I was right away! Are you secretly super smart?"**_

"You know him?" Louise asked.

"He's also one of Wiseman's elite Phantoms like Medusa, but went rogue!" I gritted, making Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha gasp since they met Medusa. "How are you alive Gremlin?! Haruto took you out!"

And how Haruto finished off Gremlin in the series was a bit disappointing and underwhelming. I mean sure, it was explosive and all, but it didn't have that "umph" in there.

_**"Haruto?"**_ Gremlin contemplated. _**"Hm, I don't know anyone by that name. Maybe it was someone else with my handsome face?" **_

I gasped in realization. This world's Gremlin must be like this world's Medusa.

This Gremlin then didn't come from that serial killer Sora, but instead was manifested inside of someone from Halkeginia. I was still wary around this Gremlin though since they always had a mind of making mischief for everyone. They always said when a Gremlin was in the works, things went wrong in a big way.

_**"Well whatever."**_ Gremlin shrugged before he jumped from the tree and landed on the ground. _**"I'm here on Wiseman's orders to kill you and your friends. This is going to be so much fun!"**_

"I don't think so!" I growled, activating my Driver.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver materialized and I flipped the Hand Author to the left.

SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!

I slipped on my Flame Style ring and shouted, "Henshin!" before placing it in front of the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

_**"It's time to play!"**_ Gremlin leaped from his perch, manifesting a pair of swords.

After donning in my armor, I switched rings and flipped the Hand Author.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

The small magic circle appeared in the air and I took out Derf, "Heya Partner, what's up?"

"We got another elite Phantom. This one is Gremlin!"

"Oh yeah, bring him on!" Derflinger laughed as I brought him to an attack stance. "Let's do this Partner!"

"Yeah, let's go!" I said before charging at Gremlin.

I slashed at the Phantom, but he blocked with both of his swords with a chuckle before he leaped back and ducked behind a large rock. I dashed after him, but he was gone. "Huh?"

_**"Over here!"**_ I looked up and saw him waving at me from behind a tree.

"What the– how did he–" Derf said surprised.

"Gremlin isn't a trickster for nothing." I grimaced.

I dashed at him again, but he ducked behind the tree only to vanish again. He popped up out of a whole Guiche made from his spellcasting with a laugh. I tried lunging at him again only for him to duck down again. Looking around, I saw him squeeze out of a hollow tree with another stupid laugh, prompting me to shoot at him. He just danced around the bullets like a cartoon character before leaping behind a tree again.

Now I know how Haruto feels when he's dealing with Gremlin. He's just downright annoying!

_**"Hahahahaha, try and catch me!"**_ Gremlin laughed.

"Hold still!" I snapped.

_**"Hold still? That's boring!"**_ Gremlin said. _**"It's more fun if I move around!"**_ Just to mock me he leaped up to sit on a tree branch out of range and kicked his feet like a little kid.

"Then I'll make you stay!" I shouted before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author twice.

**BIND! PLEASE!**

Mini magic circles appeared and the chains were about to bind him in place, but he managed to jump out of the way!

_**"Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!"**_ he laughed at me. _**"I'm not so easy to catch! Try again!"**_

All of a sudden, a fire, water, wind, and earth attack suddenly hit Gremlin from out of nowhere, sending Gremlin stumbling a bit thanks to Kirche, Montmorency, Tabitha, and Guiche!

_**"Now that hurt!"**_ Gremlin huffed. _**"If you wanted to play then you should have waited for invitations!"**_

"Sorry, but no one's gonna get to my Darling, but me!" Kirche said.

Ugh… really Kirche?

_**"Well, if you want to play so bad maybe I can oblige."**_ Gremlin laughed before he raised his hand to snap his fingers.

Gremlin snapped his fingers and a handful of Ghoul Stones appeared which he threw at my friends. When they hit the ground, they grew into Ghouls which stumbled towards the five students with menace on their minds.

"Hey! Leave my friends out of this!" I shouted before charging at Gremlin again.

_**"They insisted!" **_he teased, blocking my attack.

"Well I'm not letting you hurt them!" I countered before we backed off to gain distance and I switched rings.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A copy of me appeared and my clone immediately went to help Louise and the others and I can focus on Gremlin.

_**"Oh, how clever," **_Gremlin laughed, acting like he was applauding my thinking. _**"I wonder how long a copy can last against the cannon fodder."**_

"Longer than your Ghouls, that's for sure!" I said before taking out my Flame Dragon ring. If I'm to beat Gremlin, I'm gonna have to go all out! I switched rings, replacing the Flame Style with the Flame Dragon ring and flipped the Hand Author to my left. I placed the ring in front of the Hand Author and…

**ERROR!**

Oh man, not what I was looking for! I flipped the Hand Author twice and tried again.

**ERROR!**

Dang it Dragon, stop being a stubborn lizard! I tried again.

**ERROR!**

_**"What's wrong Mahōtsukai?"**_ Gremlin giggled before he slashed me across the chest, knocking me back. _**"And now this is where I get serious."**_ Gremlin said before charging at me, giving me no time to regroup as I was slashed multiple times.

"Gah," I cried out as the strikes rained down on me, launching me onto my back with smoke lifting from my chest plate.

_**"Take this!"**_ Gremlin shouted as he swung his blades and two waves of energy crashed onto me.

My scream of pain was drowned out by the blasts as I was launched back into the shores of the lake. I groaned and my transformation began to fail, portions of the armor turning misty with my elemental magic. "No! Dragon, keep it together!"

_**"Whoo wee, now I see why Medusa sees you as weak."**_ Gremlin said.

"Grrrr…" I snarled, slowly pulling myself up. I wasn't going to lose here! Not now!

**EXPLOSION! NOW!**

The white circle appeared, exploding and sending Gremlin flying back behind a rock. I shook my head and looked to the side. Once again, the White Wizard was there approaching the fight. Just how the heck was this guy able to intervene like this all the time?!

_**"Who did that?! That was unfair!"**_ Gremlin whined as he was trying to read the situation. Scrambling up on the rock, he spied the White Wizard who turned to face him. _**"Oh no… not you again…! Can't you leave us alone for once?"**_

The White Wizard was silent before turning to me and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Been better…" I grunted, getting back up to my feet. "I have to ask though. Why are you helping me?"

"Does there need to be a reason?" The White Wizard asked back, surprising me with that answer. "I am aware that you've been wary of me and I am here to assure you that I am not your enemy."

"The last guy who wore that suit said the same and he almost committed genocide." I retorted. "Forgive me if I don't trust you just yet."

"I understand." The White Wizard nodded. "I will then somehow have to earn your trust. For now, let us deal with this Phantom." With that, he pulled out from behind his back, the Hamel Cane.

_**"Oooh, you're just getting in the way now."**_ Gremlin groaned. "_**Well, Wiseman wants to get rid of you as well so I guess I should. More work for poor old me."**_

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" The White Wizard said before charging at Gremlin.

"Do you really think you can trust him Partner?" Derf asked.

"I'm not sure." I shook my head. "The last guy who wore that suit was a genocidal maniac. I know it's not him, but that kind of reputation with the one who uses that other wielder's magic doesn't just go away."

"At least he's offering free help, so let's not turn it down and help the guy out."

"Figures a sword would say that." I snickered. Getting my second wind, I charged for the scene to lend a hand.

_**"Bring it on!"**_ Gremlin shouted as his two swords clashed with my WizarSwordGun and the White Wizard's Hamel Cane.

I had to admit the White Wizard seemed to know what he was doing. He twisted around the Rapture Swords like a pro as he struck back, trying to get at Gremlin who was a natural at avoiding hits. Even with the two of us, he was still managing to defy the odds and bend around attacks.

_**"Let's see you handle this!"**_ Gremlin slashing at the White Wizard with the Rapture Swords sending two waves of energy, but the White Wizard thought quickly and held his Hamel Cane like a flute and played it.

A stream of music emerged from the instrument/weapon, forming a barrier which protected both of us from the attack. I took the opportunity to fire off several of my silver rounds guided by my magic. Let's see him dodge these!

*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*

_**"Gah,"**_ Gremlin shrieked in pain, as sparks flew off of him, making him stumble.

"Take that!" Derflinger cheered.

The White Wizard then switched rings and flipped his Hand Author twice.

**GIANT! NOW!**

He lashed out with a punch through his magic circle, his fist growing to a giant size before it crashed into Gremlin.

"Now it's my turn!" I said before switching rings.

**EXCITE! PLEASE!**

I grew tall and my muscles got big before charging at Gremlin and punched and kicked him all around, with Gremlin thrown around like a rag, "YEEEHOOHOOHOOHOOEY!" Gremlin cried as he was launched a clear distance away from the two of us.

And why the heck did he sound like Goofy just now? Never mind, what matters is we got him on the ropes.

"Let us finish this." The White Wizard said, taking out his Kick Strike Ring.

"I'm with you there." I said, doing the same thing.

**VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!**

**YES! KICK STRIKE! UNDERSTAND?**

Both of us took our leaps, producing our magic circles in the air before kicking the centers, charging ourselves up as we came down to strike at Gremlin.

We both struck, sending Gremlin sailing backwards with a scream before he exploded with both our magic circles hanging in the air. We did it! We beat an Executive Phantom like Gremlin and it was only our first meeting with the guy!

"Whew…" I sighed, hunching over.

"It is not over yet." the White Wizard warned me.

"Huh?" I looked up. "Doesn't it generally mean we win when the other guy explodes?"

"Look." the White Wizard said, pointing at where the explosion took place.

Standing up in the dying flames was a black figure. He wore a black shit with an upturned collar, the shoulders decorated with opera masks, the kind, which are happy or sad. He had a trailing coat which has armor shaped like those masks following him and his hands were covered in white gauntlets as opposed to his black coat. His face was the weirdest features, being completely blank, just a white slate. On his waist was a gem like all Phantoms wore his being green to denote air affinity.

"What the–" I gasped.

_**"Alas, I have been discovered."**_ the strange Phantom lamented dramatically. _**"I have failed as a thespian. I Doppelganger have been found out! Oh woe is me!"**_

WHAT?! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! THE GREMLIN WE FOUGHT WAS A FAKE?! MAN, NOW I KNOW HOW AKIKO FELT WHEN SHE AND W, WERE DUPED BY THE DUMMY DOPANT!

Doppelganger laughed, taking a bow to us, _**"And now my part is complete. I shall bid you both adieu for the night but do not fret! We shall meet again!" **_taking his left hand, he pressed it onto his face before his entire body flashed and he transformed into a raven before taking off into the sky.

"GET BACK HERE!" I shouted, but I knew it was no use.

"He's too far away now." The White Wizard shook his head.

"Kurogasa," Louise shouted. The White Wizard and I turned to see that my copy vanish after taking out the last Ghoul Phantom and her and company approached us.

"I'm fine… more or less…" I sighed.

"Oh Darling, you were amazing!" Kirche cooed, and hugged my arm to my dismay.

"Kirche…" I sighed. I was too tired for this.

"You have all done well." The White Wizard said, gaining our attention. "But know this. This is all but a prelude of what's to come." He said, before specifically eyeing on Louise.

"Huh?" Louise blinked.

"Be warned, descendant of the Void. In the near future, all of Halkeginia will be in grave danger. You and your Familiar must be well prepared."

"What?!" I cried. He knew Louise was a Void mage?!

"What?!" Louise cried out.

"What?!" Guiche and Montmorency exclaimed. But before we could say anything else…

**TELEPORT! NOW!**

Oh that little… thanks for leaving us with the fallout!

"Oh my…" Kirche said.

The four of them were all staring rather intently at Louise.

"What are you looking at _me_ for?!" Louise panicked.

Oh boy… this is gonna be a long night, going back home…

* * *

The next day, we all got back to the Academy. Guiche and Montmorency were rather shocked that Louise was a Void Mage. I had to _really_ convince them to keep their mouths shut, or we're gonna have an Apocalypse on our hands. Outlining just how many factions would try to use Louise and what they may have been willing to do to get her scared them a little I think. Politics alone could be a deadly game, but add religion and it got downright bloodthirsty.

Right now, I'm in my house, sitting Indian style at the table polishing my Wizard Rings while wearing my Land Style coat.

Like the previous coats the magic circles were on the front and back only this time it was yellow and the cloth had a rough leather texture feel to it. The small magic on the front had a dark gold color. The same was for the enlarged circle on the back. But what I like about the back was that the magic circle had a sandy feeling to it. Ms. Quinn must have used sand and glue for the lines and letters of the magic circle and the sand itself isn't falling off.

My mind wasn't on fashion though. Someone outside of our circle knew Louise was a Void mage. That meant we had a leak somewhere. How did the White Wizard find out?

I told the Headmaster about it and he immediately questioned every staff member of the Academy about it.

Since the Fouquet thing, everyone was taking security a little more seriously. The teachers who knew, Colbert and the Headmaster made sure they stayed silent about it. All the other teachers reported no one suspicious appeared since the White Wizard whisked away Guiche's father.

But it still begs the question: How did he know that Louise was a Void Mage? Could he be… nah that's not possible… there's no way he could be. What are the chances that the White Wizard himself is a Void Mage?

Then again, how else could he have things which were from my world, even if they were props or toys there…?

"Kurogasa…?"

I stopped my polishing and looked up to see my wooden door slide open to reveal Louise.

"Hi Louise," I waved. "What's up?"

She came in and slid the door closed before kneeling down at the table adjacent to me. "I… want to talk to you about something."

I asked, "About what?"

"About what the White Wizard said yesterday…"

"Ah," I nodded. "It looks like your little secret isn't so secret."

"That's a complete understatement…" Louise said a bit depressed. "How did he know…? How did he know that I was a Void Mage? Only the Headmaster, Professor Colbert, and now our group know."

"Maybe PlaMonsters, I don't know." I shook my head.

"And what did he mean that all Halkeginia will soon be in grave danger?" Louise asked again. "It doesn't make any sense."

"So far he seems on the up and up so he may keep it quiet," I offered. "But…"

Louise prompted, "But what?"

"We have no idea who he is or what he intends." I sighed.

"I see…" Louise mumbled. "I never thought it would be like this…" She said, as she was… trembling and hugging herself?

"Louise?" I said concerned.

"First Fouquet reveals that I'm a Void Mage, then… Th–The Headmaster tells us about the danger of it and… n–now the White Wizard telling us of this future danger? This is… This is too much to take in…" That's when her tears streamed down her eyes.

That's when I put down the ring I was polishing and the polishing cloth down, scooted next to her, and hug her close, "Hey, hey, hey, calm down…" I whispered.

"I'm scared!" Louise trembled. "Is all I'm good for is destroying things? Even if I have the Void I'm still a zero!"

"That's not true Louise…"

Louise dissolved into quiet sobs. Even now her noble upbringing wouldn't allow her to express her feelings.

"It's okay Louise… I'm here for you… Let it all out…"

We stayed like that for a while. I don't know how long. I didn't care to check. But all the while, I let her cry on me as I slowly combed her hair, comforting her as best as I could.

Hey, say what you want about her, but Louise is just like any other girl and her true self was kept locked away, by her pride and noble nature. On the outside, she's a noble who has to live up to her parent's and peers expectations and her prideful attitude was hiding her true self I'm seeing now. She's just like any other girl and the only thing she wanted was to be accepted for who she is without being judged by others. Sadly, it seemed a lot about being worthwhile in nobility was gained by how everyone else saw you. You stumble once, and it affected your whole life no matter how hard you worked to get past it.

After what seemed like forever, Louise was calming down and her crying mostly stopped. "You feel better now?" I asked, looking down at Louise.

"A little…" she murmured.

"That's a start." I said. "Listen Louise, it is okay for you to be scared. I'd be scared with all _that_ thrown at me in the face. But that's why you have me to help you out. Do you remember what I told you at the Ball of Frigg?"

"You said that… you'd protect me no matter what… even… if the world is full of enemies…"

"That's right. And I intend to do that to very end. And I told you one other thing. I'll become your hope."

"Hm," Louise smiled lightly. "Hope…"

"Now you listen, Louise." I said, as we looked at each other. "Don't let anyone, and I mean anyone hold you back and live up to their expectations. It's going to be holding you back and by the time you realize it, it's already too late. Life your life as best as you can. I'll be there with you every step of the way."

Louise didn't reply, but the smile she had was the brightest I had ever seen as she leaned in on me again.

I have to admit… this feel nice.

"Oh my, what an interesting house," A voice said.

Louise and I perked up and let go of each other to see someone at the door, looking distracted by the design of my little house. They were dressed in a brown robe and although we couldn't see the person's face, I could recognize the voice.

"Princess Henrietta?"

* * *

And that's the end of the chapter! That's right! Gremlin has appeared even though Doppelganger copied him and all, but anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! So see ya latter!


	9. The Princess's Request

Hey, hey, hey! It's Fenikkusumaru here, giving you another chapter of Wizard of Zero! Now things are about to get crazier than ever! So let's get to it!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

I have to admit, I was a little nervous. With Henrietta in my house, I was delegated to serving tea since I was the homeowner. Even at the late hour, I was still hardwired to follow the customs of my home country. So along that vein, I was entertaining royalty! I had the equivalent to the princess of Japan in my home and I had to properly welcome her with tea and what snacks I had at the time.

If we weren't already on friendly terms I would've been freaking out by now.

"Thank you for the tea Sir Kurogasa." Henrietta smiled. "I really enjoyed it."

"Thank you Your Majesty," I smiled. "I'm sorry it was just the simple things, but I hadn't had much of a chance to stock anything but the basics and you did come at a somewhat late hour."

"Oh no, it's okay. I had a big dinner at the castle, so it's fine." Henrietta said, before looking around. "I have to admit, this house looks interesting. Did you build this yourself?"

"Well, Professor Colbert helped me get the materials and guided me on how to get the carpenters and such to make it the way I needed," I replied. "But the design is mine. It's the architectural style that is native to my homelands. Do you like it?"

"Yes. I do. I'm most impressed." Henrietta answered.

I couldn't help but grin at that. Still, it begged a question, "So what brings you out here at this hour and on your own?"

"I…" Henrietta began. "I need your help. And it's something only you and Louise could do."

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical_ _Wizard_ _Rings:_ _It contains_ _the power of the four_ _elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of_ _Despair, a familiar with_ _modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the_ _Jewel of Hope: Kamen_ _Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Princess's Request

"What kind of help?" Louise asked.

Henrietta looked down for a moment before speaking, "I assume you have been hearing news concerning the land of Albion?"

"Of course," Louise nodded.

"Uh… never heard of it," I shook my head.

"Well you see the country of Albion is in a state of civil war." She began.

I looked concerned, "A civil war? Why? What happened?"

"A large portion of the nobility is rebelling against the royal family and those who stand with them," Henrietta explained. "They have even convinced much of the commoner population with promises of more privileges that the previous Tudor regime would not grant them. The rebels have amassed a sizable army and things are not going well for the royalty at the moment."

"Oh man, that sounds harsh…" I winced.

"It has been a trying time," Henrietta nodded, looking solemn. "However, what I need of you two is to venture into Albion in order to meet with Prince Wales."

"You want us to meet with the crown prince?" Louise blinked in surprise. "For what reason would you want _us_ to go?"

"Both the countries of Tristain and Germania agreed to help fight against the rebels but…" She trailed off. Something tells me that I don't like where this is going.

"Princess…?" I asked.

"Prince Wales has something in his possession. A letter," Henrietta confessed. "Were the rebels to find it, they could use it against Tristain and leave it isolated and alone, ripe for attack."

Now that confused me. How bad could a letter be? "And how would the letter be able to do that?"

Henrietta sighed, looking down in shame, "You see, to ensure Tristain's continued providence I have agreed to enter a marriage with the Emperor of Germania. Were the contents of the letter be known, it could cause the Emperor to dissolve the marriage and withdraw any support from Tristain."

WHAT?! SHE'S GOING INTO A POLITICAL MARRIAGE?! OH HECK NO! NOT MY WATCH YOU'RE DOING THAT!

That's what I wanted to say and were, I a new arrival in Tristain I would've. In the days since I arrived, I had to learn a little bit of the geography of the country. Not like I had a choice since Louise insisted I follow her to class all the time. Out of all the countries, Tristain was by far the smallest and thus had pretty limited resources in pretty much everything. Louise's political classes helped outline some of the history as well. Tristain supported itself a lot through political marriages to royals from the other countries be they minor or major. I didn't doubt the Princess wanted to help Albion but I did doubt Tristain had the resources to make it happen. Since Germania was the closest ally, the other being Romalia which was just too far away they had to go to Kirche's homeland for help. The marriage was probably the price for Germania's help.

"You're going to marry that slob of a Germanian Emperor?!" Louise asked appalled.

"It can't be helped…" Henrietta said, shaking her head sadly.

"It's a love letter isn't it?" I asked. "That's the only thing that could interrupt the marriage proceedings. If the rebels show the letter to the Emperor, they could spin it like you and the prince had an ongoing love affair. The Emperor would be enraged about it and drop the proposal entirely for being unfaithful."

"Yes." Henrietta nodded. "And to be honest… I really _am_ in a relationship with him. I'm in love with Prince Wales."

*GONG!* (O_O)

The next thing that happened, I was suddenly on all fours looking depressed and I imagined purple lines above my head and imagined the room darkening with a spotlight shining on me… she already has someone…

"What's wrong with _you_?" Louise frowned.

"Reality hit me…" I groaned. Seeing their confused looks I sighed, "Never mind."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Henrietta asked.

"Don't worry." I smiled weakly. Yes, I would just stay in the corner and nurse my broken heart and shattered dreams.

_**'Heh, heh, heh…!'**_

_'Shut up you overgrown lizard…'_ I mentally groaned.

_**'You know what they say: Payback's a–'**_

_'Don't finish that sentence!'_

"Moving on," Louise spoke up. "How are we to find Prince Wales? The last news I heard of Albion was that the royal family went into hiding."

"One of my contacts from Albion sent me his location, so you needn't worry." Henrietta assured.

"It begs the question of how we can convince him we're not spies." I reminded her.

"There is a way." Henrietta said before she took off a silver ring with a small blue jewel on it. She went up to Louise and put it on her ring finger. "I want you to take this."

Louise gasped, "The Water Ruby?!"

I blinked with the same question, "The Water Ruby?"

"It is one of the treasure of the royal family, one of four which were crafted by the Founder for each of his descendants who's lines would eventually go on to rule Romalia, Tristain, Albion, and Gallia," Louise explained to me.

"I want you to show this ring to Wales. He has on his finger, the Wind Ruby. When these two rings come in contact with each other they will glow a rainbow glow."

Wow, really? How awfully cute for imperial relics… For some reason I just felt it was kind of silly for relics like the rings to do something like that. I didn't dare say it since I didn't want to insult Henrietta or get Louise angry at me again.

"That rainbow glow is an important symbol of my relationship between me and Wales. When he sees that rainbow glow, he will know that you two are not spies."

"Let's hope he remembers." I sighed.

"I'm sorry to ask you two this…" Henrietta said as she trembled a bit. "It's just… I have no one else to turn to."

"Think nothing of it Your Highness!" Louise insisted. "I'm happy to do anything you ask! Don't feel guilty for needing it!"

"I know but… Wales… he's the last of the royal family. I wanted him to flee the country so he could hide here in Tristain, but he refused, saying that he needed to stay in Albion in hopes that he would somehow regain back his country." That's when… she started crying? "Just thinking about him dying would…"

That's when I got in front of her and held her shoulders. "It's not going to happen." I said firmly.

"Eh?"

"We'll make sure Wales is safe when we go to meet him," I explained. I felt solemn and serious when I said it, but that was the way I wanted. "However, if the situation is Albion isn't getting any better or if his life is in direct danger from something like assassins or the like, then I'll make sure he comes back with us so he can continue his campaign with his allies. If I have to knock him out and be charged with attacking a member of royalty, then so be it."

"Y–You'd do that?"

"Of course," I nodded. "You already lost someone you love, and I'm not going to let you experience that twice…" I then trailed off with a hint of sadness, remembering my parents. "You don't need to see two people you care about die…"

Henrietta began to tremble and I knew she was about to cry. I was prepared for that since obviously she loved this Prince Wales guy a lot. His safety would have been an immense relief to her. However, what I wasn't expecting was her to grab me in a hug and begin to cry, "Thank you so much! Sir Kurogasa! Uwaaaaaaahh!"

"Uh…" I blinked, but then smiled gently as I returned the hug.

Louise's hawk like stare on my face and hands was a little worrying, but I didn't let it get to me.

All of a sudden, we heard a bit of movement from outside my house, alerting us, "Who's there?!" I demanded.

I slide open my door, ready to deal with a possible Albion spy or the like, but what I got was Guiche tumbling into my house. He hit with a loud thud before looking up in embarrassment at getting busted at his attempt at spying.

"Guiche…" I sighed. Not again. How often was I going to have to deal with this guy? "What the heck are you doing here?" I asked irritably.

"I… um… saw a shady figure stealing across the courtyard to your hut," he explained, standing up. "When I saw them enter I listened to try and find out what was happening in case someone was threatening you."

I almost believed him.

"I'll buy the first half, but not the second," I frowned. "The second you heard female voices you thought I was getting lucky and wanted to hear, didn't you?"

"Ah… no…?" Guiche blushed. That was all the proof I needed.

"Liar…"

"Doh, fine," Guiche pouted. "I overheard everything. But thanks to that, it gives me the opportunity to volunteer for this mission."

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"I want to make it up to you for my Father's blundering actions the other day."

Well, as far as personal reasons went, his were pretty decent for wanting to take part in a mission. That said he really shouldn't have to worry about things his father had done in the heat of a moment. Still, it looked like he was resolute in this. Maybe Henrietta could discourage him?

"Really…? You'd do that?" Henrietta asked.

EH?!

"Marshal Gramont is a distinguished member of the army," Henrietta smiled. "Knowing his son is assisting in this mission is a relief for me."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." Guiche bowed with a smile.

Oh man… something tells me _this_ trip is gonna be _really_ long…

* * *

Louise, Guiche, and I had to start out early so no one would know where we were going or when. Thankfully it was foggy that morning so we had good cover for our leaving. We had to raid the school for all the supplies we needed and left a note for the Headmaster that it was for a 'special project', the common code to Osmond that Henrietta made a request of us. So once we got the horses we would need and the supplies, we were getting it all loaded up.

"When is this escort Henrietta promised supposed to get here?" I asked.

"He's supposed to be here now, but he isn't here yet." Louise said a bit impatient.

"Hm," I nodded. I tried to remember that this escort officially wasn't supposed to be going to Albion with us, just like we weren't officially supposed to be there. If we got busted, Henrietta and her mother may be forced to disavow us. Yeah, we were the medieval version of Mission: Impossible.

Suddenly, a section of the ground shook, making us look down. A hole was dug from underground and what popped out was… a big brown mole? Wait a minute, I know this mole it's–

"Oh, Verdande," Guiche cried, running over to hug the mole which waddled happily into his arms. "Oh you must have been afraid I would leave without you! Oh don't be afraid, Verdande! I won't leave you behind again!"

"Pet people at work I guess." I sighed, shaking my head. "Guiche, how are we supposed to bring her along? She's huge and the horses have enough weight on their backs."

"She can travel with us when she's digging underground." Guiche said.

"While leaving a trail behind? I don't think so…" I deadpanned.

"Please! Oh please let her come with us!" Guiche begged. I think he tried to use his charm, but it just made me want to punch him. If I were like Scarron I may have fallen for it, but as I was, no way. We were stopped when Louise yelped, catching out attention. We turned to her and saw Verdande waddling on top of her, apparently getting excited over something.

"That's odd," Guiche blinked. "She's usually shyer around strangers."

I looked closer at Verdande and saw that her nose was on the Water Ruby Louise had on.

"Why does she want the ring?" I asked, intrigued at how determined Verdande was to get her nose to the ring.

"Ah, that explains it." Guiche nodded, also seeing the ring. "Verdande has a way with jewels. She's attracted to them. She has the ability to sniff them out, especially if there is magic in them. I think her breed can eat them, but she's been satisfied with the diet she has here at the school."

"Are you serious?!" Louise asked in disbelief. "This ring was given to me by the Princess! I'm not having your mole eat it!"

"That includes my rings too! Keep that mole away from my rings!" I agreed. There's no way I'm having that mole eat all the rings I've worked hard finding on EBay! It took me _months_ to find them all!

"Oh don't worry. I feed her so well, you don't have to worry," Guiche laughed before he turned to his still excited mole. "Verdande, that's enough! Get off Louise. You don't need the ring!"

But the mole wouldn't listen. "Get this mole off of me!" Louise shouted.

Then a sudden gust of wind blew hard and the mole was suddenly off its feet before tumbling and rolling to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"What?" I hissed, drawing Derflinger from my horse and turning in the direction of the wind attack.

Guiche freaked out when his big mole got hurt, "Verdande!" He cried out, running over to the mole.

"Are we under attack?" Louise gasped, looking around.

I looked around too and saw a shadowy figure from the sky, "Above us!"

What came down from above was a griffon of all creatures. It landed lightly on its feet, showing that it was well–trained in movement. On its pack was a man wearing blue with a dark cloak, a broad–brimmed feathered hat concealing his facial features. In his hand was a sword-wand like the kind Guiche's father had used. Apparently this man was military as well.

"Who are you?!" I demanded unsheathing my WizarSwordGun at the person.

"Apologies, I saw that creature atop my fiancée and feared she was in danger," the man explained, lifting his hat. He was revealed to be a man with long gray hair and a gray bear, impeccably handsome with an image befitting a noble. "I am Viscount Jean–Jacques Francis Wardes, a pleasure."

WHOA, WAIT A MINUTE, BACK THAT UP! WHAT DID HE SAY?! LOUISE IS HIS FIANCÉE?!

Louise stammered at seeing him, turning bright pink, "V–V–Viscount Wardes!" She was immediately on her feet, trying to get the dirt off of her outfit and hair.

Guiche gawked at him too, "T–The famous Mage Knight?!"

Okay, now I knew I was out of the loop now. This guy was a big deal or something. Since Louise seemed to be out of it as she tried to get her appearance right, I looked to Guiche, "Care to explain this to me?"

"S–Sir Wardes is the captain of the Griffon Knights, one of Princess Henrietta's elite forces!" Guiche explained. "But I didn't know that Louise was Wardes's fiancée!"

Okay, so I wasn't hearing things when this Wardes guy announced himself. Turning back, I watched him dismount his griffon and approach Louise. He bowed to her, but with how short she was he was still taller than her.

"It's been far too long little Louise." Wardes greeted.

"Y–Yes, it has been." Louise stuttered, looking away shyly.

"They're really seriously engaged?" I whispered to Guiche.

"It's a high honor considering his status," Guiche whispered back, his sense of romance not wanting to interrupt the pair.

"He's got to be like, almost thirty. She's a teenager," I whispered back. "He'd get shot for coming onto her back home and that would be the merciful bunch."

It was true too. Back in my word this would automatically be considered as illegal and if they ever… elope for lack of a better term, that would be statutory rape. I mean there's no doubt in my mind that Louise would become a beautiful woman if you give it a few years. However, there was just no way one, could consider Wardes to be good husband material considering he seemed way too interested in her for an older man. I knew Halkeginia had a different social standing and all that, but I was still just creeped out.

"Uh… not to interrupt the reunion…" I said, gaining Wardes and Louise's attention. "But uh… are you our escort for this mission Sir Wardes?"

"Of course, Princess Henrietta ordered me to come herself," Wardes nodded, standing up. "Let us make haste since time is of the essence on this mission."

"Right," I nodded.

* * *

We loaded up and were soon off. Wardes of course had Louise sit with him while we used her horse to carry Verdande. It was going to be sunset by the time we arrive at our destination. Guiche was all smiles and sunshine over it as he practically sung Wardes' praises while we went, "I was worried that this mission would be dangerous, but if we have Viscount Wardes with us then I feel much more confident!"

"Yeah," I commented neutrally. "So anyway, what kind of a place is Albion, other than the whole civil war thing?" I asked Guiche.

"Ah, it is a prosperous nation despite being suspended in the air like it is," Guiche explained.

…

"Could you repeat that?" I asked. "I think I had something crazy in my ear. Did you say Albion is a floating nation?"

"Yes. Albion is a floating continent that is suspended in the air thanks to the power of the Wind Stones that are deep underground."

Holy crap, Albion is a floating continent?! It's like Castle Laputa that's suspended in the air thanks to the large Aetherium crystal in its core from the Castle in the Sky movie, which by the way, is a great movie Hayao Miyazaki made. It blew my mind that something I once thought only a movie could do was actually real in Halkeginia. It actually made me excited to see it, even if there was a civil war going on. I mean, how often does someone see a floating country of all things?

"Well then, I can't wait to actually see it." I grinned. "But how exactly are we gonna get up there?"

"Airships of course," Guiche answered.

…

Did he just say airships?

Okay… now I was really getting hyped for this trip. This was childhood imagination made real!

"I'm guessing you want to see that too." Guiche smirked.

"Heck yeah I wanna see that!" I nodded.

"Not to worry then. You'll be able to see it when we get to port." Guiche chuckled.

It turned out we needed to go to a city called La Nocher which was in the mountains. It was one of the highest places in Tristain where the flying ships could be launched from. I guessed it made sense since boats needed to be launched from the shore flying boats had to be launched from high mountains.

While we continued our way, I eyed on Louise who was chatting happily with Wardes. He seemed like a nice guy, but… for some reason I feel something off about him. Then again, the guy was how old and he seemed much too interested in Louise who most definitely was not even eighteen. She didn't even look it with how petite she was.

I'll give Wardes the benefit of the doubt for now, but I'll still keep an eye on him. You can never be too careful.

When the sun was setting down, we arrived at the port and I was amazed that the port town itself looked like that someone carved the whole thing out of pure stone!

"Wow," I couldn't help but admire. It would have taken two football teams worth of artisans' years of work to do a place like this out of solid stone. Plenty of the less wealthy homes were simple, but I could see plenty of buildings which were richly decorated and carved wonderfully.

"Impressive, no," Guiche asked.

"Oh yeah," I nodded. Okay, I had to admit magic could get some really good results when it came to things like architecture.

We soon entered the city and we were already getting a few stares from the citizens, mostly from Wardes's griffin. I mean, it's not every day that a griffin comes through the city.

Wardes brought us to an inn which he had made reservations at. It was one of the most colorful buildings since there were hanging gardens on the front. We all came to a stop and dismounted. I had to groan from the saddle sores but I tried my best to suck it up. Guiche, Louise, and Wardes sure didn't seem to have my problem but they were way more used to riding horses. I was more into motorcycles and bicycles.

"We'll rest here for the night, and then leave tomorrow evening for Albion." Wardes said.

"Oh thank goodness," I groaned, bending my legs to get the feeling back into them.

"You're awfully relieved." Louise frowned.

"Where I'm from, horseback riding is only for recreation." I sighed as I stretched my legs and body to loosen up all the stiffness.

"Then how on earth do you get anywhere?" asked Guiche.

"Ancient method of transportation: walking." I said sarcastically with a deadpan. Well, I could've mentioned cars but they wouldn't believe that. Louise had a hard enough time believing I came from a different world.

"Your idea of humor surprisingly flatters me…" Guiche deadpanned too.

"Look, I'm tired and hungry, can we just go in?"

"I've made all the reservations," Wardes smiled. "So shall we?"

"Yes please, thank you." I sighed before I went inside.

* * *

And so the four of us went in the inn and I have to say, the interior of the place kinda reminds me of Scarron's Dancing Fairy Inn. Of course, remembering that reminds me of Jeanne, and remembering her reminds of… that… time we… Wait, don't go daydreaming. Focus on the job at hand. Anyways, after being seated, we ordered tonight's dinner. It was all comfort food and tonight I'm having some rice with steak cooked medium–well and mixed vegetables consisting of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. Oh, and a cup of water too.

I may have been considered legal to drink in Halkeginia, but I knew I wasn't ready for wine, ale, or whatever they called their booze.

It was a quiet dinner for the most part and we were enjoying it, however, it was too quiet, so I decided to break the ice. "So Sir Wardes, how did you and Louise meet?"

"Ah, we've known each other for some time," Wardes answered calmly. "I was often invited to the Vallière Estate and we got to know each other then."

"I assume you're friends with the family then?"

"For some time," Wardes nodded. "Since my parents' unfortunate passing, I had to take the reins of my family and meet with their allies to ensure our bonds remained strong."

I winced at that, but then I also realized something. Is Wardes the other guy that Louise talked about when I had my nightmare about my parents dying in front of me? "I see… I'm sorry to hear about your parents."

"An old wound, but one I believe I have mended well," Wardes nodded. "I appreciate your condolences."

"My… wounds have not healed just yet for me…" I said.

"I see… so you too huh?"

I could only nod looking down.

"Then my suggestion is this," Wardes explained. "Do not push others away and find something to pour your energies into. Deal with your pain a little bit at a time, one day after another."

"Will it work?"

"I'm sure it will." Wardes assured. It was good advice. Unlike those counselors who tried to do the same just because it was their job to do so, Wardes did know my pain and found a way through his own. "But enough about that," Wardes said. "Let's talk about you. I heard that Louise summoned you, am I correct?"

"That's right, I'm her Familiar," I answered.

"I also heard that you can use all four elements."

I looked at Wardes in surprise, "How did you–"

"I have ears in the court and when news came of Fouquet's defeat at someone who could use all four elements, people were naturally shocked." Wardes replied. "No one believed it until Princess Henrietta herself confirmed it. I had no idea Louise's Familiar was a fellow noble."

"I… see."

"And I also heard that in order to use the elements, you used some sort of silver belt around your waist and use your rings to use your powers too."

Okay, how much had this guy heard? Henrietta didn't strike me as the kind who'd have loose lips.

"Uh… yeah, something like that," I said before taking a sip of my water.

"In that case, since we're killing time, how about you and I spar with each other tomorrow morning?"

Louise looked shocked, while Guiche choked on his food, and I sprayed my water out in a mist.

"A little warning next time," I coughed. "And could you repeat that?"

"I said I want to spar with you." Wardes repeated.

"Why do you want to spar with me?" I asked suspiciously.

"A chance to test skills against all four elements at once?" asked Wardes. "One can't expect a better sparring partner than that."

"Sir Wardes, you can't–"

"It's alright Louise. I'll go easy on him. Although, after hearing the tales about how strong this ring–bearing noble is, I may not have to at all."

"Oh, heard stories have you?" I asked.

"Yes. I've heard about these… Phantom creatures you slay. I've been hearing reports from the other soldiers. And I hear you even bested Marshall Gramont in a duel. My eye's widened in shock while Guiche choked his food yet again.

"Oi Guiche, pull it together!" I said as I got behind him and did the Heimlich maneuver.

"Pleh!" he gagged, spitting out the food. Coughing, he wiped his lips but still looked panicked, "H–How did you learn of that? My father would have taken steps that it remained private!"

"As I said, I have ears of the court." Wardes said. "And when I see him, he seethes most of the times and grumbles to himself about it."

"That does sound like him," Guiche sighed.

"So in other words, it was a slip of the tongue from Marshall Gramont himself?" I asked.

"Yes, on pure accident." Wardes chuckled a bit sheepishly.

Somehow, it seemed too coincidental he knew all that but on the other hand he did rub elbows with a lot of government and military officials being a caption of his own squad.

"Hmmm… I suppose it happens." I shrugged.

"Sir Wardes, are you sure you want to do this?" Louise asked worriedly.

"Oh it's nothing harmful," he insisted. "I promise it will be nothing lethal."

I thought about this for a while. What was this guy up to? Other than wanting to gauge my strength, was there a hidden agenda behind it all? Something just kept rubbing me the wrong way. He seemed to know a whole lot more about me than I was comfortable with. Yes, he may have overhead a lot with how he moved in the government. Yes, Henrietta may have told him in order for him to be better prepared for the mission. The way he was so eager to share how much he knew was a bit off putting.

Again, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, "Nothing lethal?" I asked.

"Nothing lethal," Wardes answered.

After a while of thinking I said with a nod, "Alright then, you're on."

Louise looked like she wanted to groan, but didn't want to look bad in front of her fiancé.

"Excellent. We'll start tomorrow morning after breakfast." Wardes smiled.

Hopefully I wasn't in over my head.

* * *

After dinner, all of us retired to our guest rooms. Wardes and Louise were gonna share a room with Guiche and I doing the same. Guiche wanted to stay up a bit longer, because he wanted to confirm our flight for Albion. Yeah, that's good and all, but I have a feeling he'd want to flirt with the girls here more or less. I was laying down on my bed thinking about recent events, especially Wardes. There's something fishy about that guy.

"Something wrong Partner?" Derf asked as he wriggled out of his sheath.

"Just brooding on Wardes," I sighed. "Something about him is bugging me but I'm not sure what. I think it's just how he seems so happy to marry Louise when he's so much older than her but…"

"Ooooh, sounds like someone's jealous." Derf snickered.

"No way," I shook my head. "Louise is a spitfire, but she's not my type. She's more like a little sister."

"And you're being the big brother?"

"Yeah, in my lands he'd be shot for putting his hands on her. We don't take kindly to older men trying to get cozy with underage girls," I replied.

"Yeouch…" Derf cringed, well… if the Hand Author for his mouth curling slightly counted as cringing.

"So that's one thing that bothers me about him." I sighed. "The other I guess is that he seems to know so much about me but I hardly know anything about him. He's keeping himself pretty secretive for being Louise's fiancé."

"Maybe you should have one of those PlaMonster critters spy on him or something." Derf suggested.

I blinked. Oh yeah, I forgot about those guys, "Good idea."

Slipping on a ring, I placed it in front of my Hand Author buckle.

**GARUDA! PLEASE!**

The red Plamonster assembled and I brought it to life by inserting the ring. It gave an enthusiastic chirp as it landed in my hands, "Okay buddy. I need you to follow Wardes for the next little while. If you see anything suspicious you alert me, got it?"

Garuda chirped at that, before flying out the window.

"Oh, I better have one of them keep, an eye on Louise too." I said before slipping on another ring.

**UNICORN! PLEASE!**

The little blue Plamonster appeared and I brought it to life as well. After giving it its orders, I let it trot out into the hallway to find a spot to hide so it could observe Louise.

"That should do it." I said, satisfied.

"It should ease your troubles eh Partner?" asked Derflinger.

"Yeah… hopefully…" I sighed.

* * *

_Unicorn trotted through the hallways of the inn without being detected and after a while, it found the room that was Wardes and Louise's. Next to the door, it found a hole, small enough for it to go into the room. With a bit of shimmying, it popped through and moved to hide in the shadows and spy on the little mage and ensure her safety._

_"Louise… do you remember when we first met?" Wardes's voice asked, catching Unicorn's attention. _

_It looked to see Wardes in a chair with Louise sitting on his lap. "How could I not?" She asked back. My father compared my magic to my elder sisters' again and it upset me so much that I took a boat to the middle of the lake where I could be alone."_

_"That's right. That's I went to comfort you and see if we could talk some sense into your stubborn father." Wardes said._

_"We didn't talk too much sense into him," Louise sighed. "But it seemed to make a good impression on him for you."_

_"Yes. And with us so close and my rising reputation in the Griffon Knights, your parents decided that I would be a fine match for you and I happen to agree."_

_"Hm," Louise blushed. "And I thank you for everything you have done as both my friend and my fiancé."_

_"I'm glad to hear you say that." Wardes said. "Louise, after this mission is over… I want us to wed."_

_"Ah?" Louise turned bright red. "Ah, ah, ah, but Sir Wardes, haven't my parents already discussed a wedding date?!"_

_"I know this is rather sudden and I apologize, but I think its best that now's the time for that."_

_"But why?" asked Louise. "Has something happened? Is there something wrong? What makes you think this is the best course of action?"_

_"Let's just say that it's a surprise." Wardes smiled._

_Unicorn smelled something funny. Out the window, Garuda felt the same._

* * *

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN! What a good sleep. I sat up on by bed, scratching my head. I guess I was still enjoying sleeping in a proper bed all the time instead of that pile of straw in Louise's room. Still, I was going to bask in it all I could every chance I got after knowing what it was like to go without.

Just then, I heard chirping and neighing, slightly getting me out of my grogginess, as Garuda and Unicorn came in my room.

"Oh, hey guys," I smiled as they came up to my bed. "So what's to report?" Garuda and Unicorn were chirping and neighing too fast and I couldn't understand what they're saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, one at a time. Calm down." I said.

The two slowed down and started again. Basically, they reported the same thing. Wardes was starting to get pushy about the impending marriage with Louise. He actually wanted to get married as soon as possible. That just made me more concerned. Was he hoping to quickly cash into the Vallière name or something? From what little Louise explained about her family, they had some substantial standings. Was Wardes looking for access or was he just that eager to get to the honeymoon? Or was he really in love with Louise and feared this mission might be his last and wished to be married after it?

Whatever it is, Wardes was definitely up to something and I have a feeling it's not good. I just hoped he was eager for noble reasons or else I'd be forced to end the line of Wardes with one well–placed kick.

So getting myself ready, I put on my jeans with my Hand Author buckle on it, black shoes, a black shirt and finally my Flame Style coat. After looking the mirror and making sure that I got the bed hair out of me, by combing it neatly. I went towards the dining area and Guiche, Louise, and Wardes were already there having their breakfast.

"Good morning everyone," I greeted, settling down. I gestured to one of the serving ladies to serve breakfast to me. "So what's out schedule for today?"

"We're having our spar after having breakfast." Wardes answered. "After all, you can't fight on an empty stomach right?"

"I suppose." I shrugged.

"And after that, we have to load everything we own into the airship before heading over to Albion."

"Sounds sensible," I nodded. "Well then Wardes, my only question is would you like me to use my full suit of armor or just my blade when we spar."

"Full suit of armor, of course," Wardes said. "I'd like to see you at full strength."

"Well then, I hope I don't disappoint," I smiled.

"Yes, I'm sure you won't." Wardes smirked.

* * *

Meanwhile…

**"Ohhhhh, what to do?"**_ the Doppelganger Phantom sighed as he was walking the streets of La Nocher in his human disguise. _**"There's not a thing to do around here. There are no Gates and Wiseman has not given me any more orders."**

_For some reason, Wiseman had ordered him to go to La Nocher but did not tell him what he was supposed to do when he got there. It was very confusing since Doppelganger didn't see any Gates so far. While the airships were interesting, he doubted Wiseman was interested in them._

**"This is rather boring…" **_Doppelganger said._** "I need something to do."**

**"And you shall do something now."**_A voice said. Doppelganger turned to a dark alley and saw Medusa in the shadows._

**"Madam Medusa!"**_ Doppelganger gasped. _**"How may I be of service?"**

**"I am here to give you Wiseman's orders." **_Medusa said._

**"I am all ears," **_Doppelganger grinned._

**"You are to set a course for Albion. Wiseman has found a Gate there, in hiding. You are to disguise yourself as that blonde boy you met the other day and accompany that pink haired girl with the knight. When you arrive, drive that Gate to despair. Meanwhile, I shall stall the Mahōtsukai from leaving this place."**

**"I hear and shall obey Madam Medusa," **_Doppelganger bowed deeply._

**"Good."**_ Medusa said._

* * *

After having a light breakfast, the four of us went to an empty alleyway of the town big enough for Wardes and me, to do our spar with Louise and Guiche watching.

"Well, shall we?" asked Wardes.

"We shall." I said before placing in my default rings on my fingers.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver soon materialized onto my belt. I then switched the Hand Author to my left with the Shift Levers.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

It kept repeating the song as I flipped the visor of my Flame Style ring down before shouting, "Henshin!" and placed the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

My magic circle manifested and passed over me, covering me in my suit. I was half–expecting Wardes to be surprised by my change but he didn't bat an eyelash. I guess that's what one of the benefits of military training. Never give the enemy a tell showing that they were intimidating you.

"Interesting…" Wardes said.

Wait, that's it? Interesting…?

"Well, things are about to get more interesting," I grinned, lifting Derflinger.

"That it will be," Wardes smirked before he took his stance with his sword wand and I readied my stance with Derf in hand. It was a standstill for a while. Moments later… we charged to the middle. Our blades clashed in a burst of sparks. We didn't press too hard. Neither of us had any real malice against one another. This was just a spar after all. We jumped back to gain distance and I charged in again, slashing at Wardes fast, but he dodged or parried every strike I did. Wardes definitely was living up to his hype. Even with those runes on my hand and my suit boosting me he seemed to be able to compensate for that difference.

"You're fast and your strike, are impressive." Wardes commented until he somehow managed to pierce through my defense. "But you're full of openings!"

*STAB!*

His sword wand hit me square on my chest and sparks flew off my armor before hitting ground on my back. "You left yourself open," Wardes commented.

"So I did," I grunted, pulling myself up to my feet again. "Gonna have to work on that. Let's keep going." I opened up the Hand Author on my WizarSwordGun and scanned my ring.

**FLAME! SLASH STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

The WizarSwordGun was engulfed in flames and I slashed the air, sending a wave of fire towards Wardes.

To his credit, he reacted like a trained soldier. He activated his own magic and concentrated a small tornado around his sword before launching it at my fire attack. Wind and fire could get along to create more powerful attacks when they worked together, but when they were opposed the opposite happened. The wind blew the air away from my fire, choking it while the strongest fire burned the tornado away, taking away the very air it was composed of. What was, left were a few cinders which fluttered away as Wardes and I began striking at each other again.

"So your specialty is wind huh?" I pondered. "Well then," I took off the Flame Style ring and switched it with one another Style Ring, "You'll see that I'm not so easy to blow away!" I flipped the Hand Author twice before scanning the ring.

**LAND! PLEASE! DO! DO! DO! DODODON! DO! DODODON!**

The yellow magic circle appeared beneath my feet and it rose up as rocks floated up too before I went into Land Style.

"Hmmmmm…" Wardes pondered.

What is this guy up to?

Changing his sword stance, I saw the tip of Wardes' sword light up with electricity of all things. Jabbing at me, the electric voltage launched at me. It was ridiculously fast and it easily hit me. Thankfully the fact I was in Land Style dissipated the voltage and more or less and my magic grounded the rest. I was barely buzzed by the strike.

"Try again." I grinned cheekily behind my mask before I switched rings and flipped the Hand Author.

**DEFEND! PLEASE!**

A wall of earth rose up from the ground, making Wardes back off and I kicked the wall of earth into pieces sending the debris towards Wardes.

Wardes kicked up another wall of air which knocked away most of the lighter pieces, but he had to get back to avoid the bigger chunks. I saw my opportunity and charged for the man again, hoping to put him on his back this time.

"Now who's the one with the wide opening?!" I said before I slashed at him. I struck and our weapons clashed, the force sending him skidding backwards. I had the advantage and didn't want to lose it.

"Impressive. You might actually make a good soldier in the Tristain Army." Wardes gritted with a smirk.

"My calling is elsewhere for the time being," I replied.

"Of course," Wardes said. "The offer still stands if you change your mind."

"I might consider it."

"Good. Now let us continue!" Wardes before a gust of wind blew back so we gain distance.

"Right, let's continue!" I said, before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

The blue magic circle appeared above my head before it descended down through me with a splash as I assumed Water Style. After that, I switched the rings again and flipped the Hand Author.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

I completely collapsed into water and I charged towards Wardes and since I'm all flexible in water, I should be able to land a few hits on him. He swiped at me several times, but he just went through me. Collecting myself, I surged forward to strike him in the torso with my collected mass.

"GAH," Wardes cringed as he skidded back.

"Sir Wardes!" Louise cried out.

I landed and became solid again. Best not get too into this or else Louise is gonna kill me.

"You okay Wardes?" I asked.

"I am well," he nodded.

"Okay, if you say so. Let's go!" I said before switching rings again.

**HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

I donned my emerald form before I took off into the air, literally flying above Wardes's head before I dove down to make an overhead strike. But Wardes easily knew my attack pattern and parried it with his sword wand. I backed off and used the wind current to try and strike him from a different direction. But he was able to block that too, "You should know by now that wind is my specialty." Wardes said.

"True," I nodded, "But I can put my own spin on it."

And I meant that literally. I quickly switched rings and flipped the Hand Author twice before scanning the ring.

**DRILL! PLEASE!**

With that, I backed off into the air and I spun towards Wardes in a corkscrew while pointing my WizarSwordGun down at Wardes while adding wind power to it, so it looks like a green tornado was coming for him.

Wardes quickly conjured his own tornado and threw it at me, making a clash of storms as we collided.

"KYAAAAAAH!" Louise cried out as she protected herself while covering her skirt so it doesn't flip up.

"Great Founder, what a storm they conjured up!" Guiche added while protecting himself from the storm too.

The swirling winds continued clashing against each other and in the eye of the storm Wardes and I were trying to push each other to see which of us is stronger.

A few minutes later, the winds dispersed and both of us backed off, panting heavily, as we we realized that we were getting too much into the battle. "I believe this should do for now." Wardes said.

"Right, best end it before we do some serious damage." I agreed. I went back to civilian form and heaved a deep sigh of relief, "WHEW… that was a good workout."

"It was… invigorating." Wardes agreed, sheathing his sword. The two of us turned to Guiche and Louise and they stared at us in pure, utter shock. I mean, can you blame them? We almost went all out on each other in that spar.

"So, who wants brunch?" I asked with a grin. But the two kept stuttering, still shocked to see the battle between the two of us.

"It looks like you stunned them silly partner!" Derflinger laughed.

"Yeah, it looks like it." I chuckled before I snapped my fingers in front of the two, and surprisingly, they snapped out of it. No pun intended. "You two okay?" I asked.

"A–Ah, yes, I'm fine." Guiche stuttered.

"Y–Yes, we're okay." Louise added.

"Good." I nodded, "Now then, brunch anyone?"

They didn't seem amused.

"I think a walk around town should relax them." Wardes suggested.

"Maybe," I nodded. "We need to get supplies for the trip, don't we?"

"Of course we do." Wardes nodded. "What say you Louise? Shall we take the scenic route?"

"O–Of course." Louise stuttered, likely both from her shock and how shy she appeared to be around Wardes. I shrugged at the image before I turned to Guiche.

"Come on then. We've got shopping to do." I took Guiche's arm and began to drag him towards the marketplace.

"A–Ah, right, um… give me one second." Guiche said, as he got free. "I need to use the bathroom real quick!" He said before running off.

* * *

_Guiche dashed for the bathroom, feeling quite small. Seeing Sir Wardes and Sir Kurogasa duel was incredible! The sheer power they were throwing around was amazing, and it was only just a spar! What would the pair of them do when it was time for battle! Still, it made him wonder if he had made the right decision by joining in on the mission. He had to get away from the scene just so he could actually calm down and relax. The battle was too intense, even for _him_._

_"What have I gotten myself into?" he wondered to himself._

**"Well if you have doubts, let me use your face and I can go in your place!"**

_Guiche then gasped as someone palmed his face and dragged him into an alley. Guiche struggled all he could, but it was no use as he soon fell unconscious. Several moments later, Guiche stepped back out into the street, fixing his clothes. Glancing back at the alley, he smirked before heading on his way._

* * *

Man, what's taking Guiche so long? Did he have diarrhea or something? I hoped he didn't since I didn't want to catch it accidentally. That would just be bad. And I don't have any anti–diarrhea pills either.

"Bet he wet himself from how awesome we are!" Derflinger laughed.

"That _is_ a possibility." I said. "I don't blame him. I was on par with Wardes and it was really a good match."

A minute later, Guiche arrived. "I'm back."

"Geez Guiche, what took you so long?" I sighed. "That was a long time for you to use the bathroom."

"Sorry, uh… I was holding it back for a while," he rubbed the back of his head.

"Whatever, let's get the supplies needed and load it into the airship. We got enough money to get whatever we need."

So Guiche and I set out to the marketplace and began picking up the items which we felt we were going to need. Wardes hadn't given us a list so we had to go generic. Food, camping gear, survival tools, that kind of thing. With Albion at civil war, we would likely have to camp out in the woods to avoid rebels and sympathizers who would turn us in. I just really hope that Wales would hold out long enough for us to rescue him. I don't want Henrietta to be sad if she learns that Wales died. I guess in a sense, Wales is Henrietta's hope. And since she's a Gate, if Wales were to die, I have a feeling that Henrietta would definitely fall into despair. I would not let that happen.

As of now, the sun was setting and Guiche had the last of the supplies on his back, carrying it. It was near the departure time and I'm sure Louise and Wardes have already boarded the airship by now. "Well, that should be the last of it." I said.

"Will we be able to survive with this?" asked Guiche. He was toughing out being a pack mule way better than I thought he would. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

"We should." I said. "With all the supplies we gathered, it should be enough to last us until we retrieve Wales and get him out of the country."

Guiche gasped at my claim, "Out of the country?!"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Have you gone demented?!" Guiche yelled.

"No. I'm dead serious." I said. "I'm getting Wales out of the country and back to Tristain."

"But–" Guiche gasped.

"Wales isn't just the leader of Albion, but the symbol of Albion itself," I explained. "If he dies, then the rebels have essentially won. Now we may not have to take him, but with the way the civil war is going we may have to do it in order to protect him if he likes it or not."

Guiche looked at me for a moment before saying, "W–Well… I suppose that sounds plausible and admirable."

"As long as Wales lives, the people can be rallied to take back Albion, provided Wales wasn't some tyrant or something," I shrugged. Judging from how highly Henrietta spoke of him, I doubted that Wales wasn't anything but a just ruler. It did make me wonder though, if he was a good ruler, why were the people rebelling?

I was soon snapped out of my thoughts when a young lady approached us.

"Well, well, we meet again." The young lady said.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked confused.

"Oh? Have your forgotten me already?" she pouted. I glanced at the lady and I was pretty sure I would've recognized her. She was obviously a noble and wore a purple dress that hugged her in ways that no noble aside from Kirche would have approved of. It showed off her hips and her chest even if no skin was revealed. It almost went like a second skin. She had long black hair which was curled in a single curly ponytail.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you." I said.

"Oh but you do." The lady smirked. "I almost killed you until that pretender saved you, Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai."

That set me off and I tensed. The only Phantoms that I knew that had gotten away from me were Medusa and Doppelganger. Since this one was female, I had one conclusion, "Medusa I presume?"

"You're catching on." Medusa smirked before changing form to her Phantom form.

I gritted at seeing her, "Guiche, get to the airship now!"

"R–Right," Guiche gulped nervously before he ran for the docks. After seeing him off, I slipped on my default rings.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

_**"Now, now Mahōtsukai,"**_ Medusa smirked at me. _**"No need to be hasty. We're surrounded by innocent people you know." **_

I looked around and noticed the people around us. Some stared while others made a run for it at the sight of Medusa."I don't quite think it will stay that way for long," I replied.

_**"Oh, but can you risk it in the middle of the city?"**_ Medusa taunted. _**"I am not like those other fools who can only concentrate on one target at a time."**_

"Grrrrr…" I growled.

_**"This is your one and only warning Mahōtsukai,"**_ Medusa stepped up to me. _**"Leave this world. It is the property of Wiseman now. Go back to Earth where you belong."**_

"I wish I could, but I can't," I scoffed. "So I'm stuck with staying here." I then flipped the Hand Author to the left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

I flipped the visor over my Flame Style ring and shouted, "Henshin!" before scanning it on the Hand Author of my belt.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I transformed in a flash and hefting Derflinger I struck at her. However, Medusa was quick and blocked with her staff.

_**"Very well."**_ she huffed.

Soon all the people noticed and made a run for their lives. Thankfully they did that so there won't be any injuries. Medusa and I pushed off against one another and I quickly converted Derflinger to his gun form before taking several shots. However, Medusa fired several beams from her visor, knocking the bullets out of the air, stone instead of silver.

_**"You're gonna have to do better than that Mahōtsukai!"**_ Medusa sneered.

"Well, how's _this_ for better?" I retorted before opening the Hand Author on Derf.

**C'MON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS! C'MON A SHOOTING, SHAKE HANDS!**

**FLAME! SHOOTING STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

I fired off huge fireballs at Medusa, hoping to hit my target.

_**"Hup,"**_ Medusa called, the snakes in her hair extending and beginning to whip about, swatting the flames out of the air. The fireballs fizzled out, making me cringe as the snakes seemed to even enjoy the head.

Wait a second, snakes like heat…

"In that case…" I said, before switching rings and flipping the Hand Author.

**WATER! PLEASE! SUI! SUI! SUI! SUI!**

I changed to Water Style and switched Spell rings before flipping the Hand Author again.

**LIQUID! PLEASE!**

"Let's see how it deals with cold water!" I shouted before collapsing into water and charged towards Medusa. She swung at me, but I just swerved around her before I wrapped around her, hoping my natural liquid form would cool her off enough.

"Ughhhh… let me go!" Medusa demanded.

"Sorry no can do!" I said cheekily. I surged more around her, trying to spread my water all over her body. Please let this work! Medusa was really struggling, trying to get me off of her, but I kept it up, not letting her go. C'mon! Freeze already! And finally, after a while…

"Aughhhhhhhh, it's cold! It's cold!"

Bingo! Medusa was stiffening and her thrashes weren't as powerful as before. My hunch was right! Sure the Blizzard Ring would work too, but I don't exactly have that and the Water Dragon ring. Still, this can make up for it. Seeing my chance, I surged away from Medusa and retook my solid form. Raising Derflinger, I aimed at her with the intent of taking her down for good. But then, all of a sudden…

*BOOOOOOOM!*

I cried out in pain as I was sent flying by an explosion from out of nowhere.

_**"Hee, hee, hee, looks like I arrived just in time!"**_

I gritted my teeth, trying to stand up as I saw my new attacker, "Gremlin…!"

_**"Guilty as charged!"**_ the green Phantom laughed as he sauntered towards us in his true form. "_**Sorry, but I couldn't let you kill my lovely friend just yet."**_

_**"What are **_**you**_** doing here?"**_ Medusa frowned. _**"This is **_**my**_** fight."**_

_**"What? I can't help out?"**_ Gremlin asked playfully. _**"Besides, the way I see it, you were getting your butt kicked."**_

_**"Grrrr…"**_ Medusa snarled, obviously not liking that bit of logic being hurled in her face. Great… Now I got two Phantoms to deal with…

* * *

_"What is taking Kurogasa and Guiche so long?" Louise asked impatiently as she was in a cabin room with Wardes._

_"I'm sure they're getting the last of supplies we need for the journey ahead." Wardes assured._

_"I know, but it's taking too long!" Louise huffed._

_"Give it time," Wardes reassured her. Just then, from outside the window, they saw Guiche running frantically, coming aboard the airship, "Hm? It's Guiche." Wardes raised an eyebrow._

_"But where's Kurogasa?" Louise wondered. The two looked at each other before they nodded and decided to see what's up. They left their cabin and went up deck and when they arrived, they met with Guiche, the latter panting heavily. "Guiche, where's Kurogasa?" Louise demanded._

_"H–He's fighting a Phantom!" Guiche gasped._

_"He's what?!" Louise cried out._

_"Where is he now?" Wardes asked._

_"A–At the town square, fighting the Phantom!"_

_"Sir Wardes, we have to help Kurogasa!" Louise urged._

_"But Louise, the airship is going to be leaving any minute now!"_

_"We can always pick another one!" Louise cried, turning to run for the battle._

_Wardes then suddenly grabbed Louise's arm. "No Louise, it's too dangerous!" He said sternly._

_"Phantoms are dangerous!" Louise snapped. "Anyone who can use magic is a target to them! They'll kill us and use our magic to make more of themselves! We have to help Kurogasa!"_

_"Even if we did help, do you honestly believe we would stand a chance?" Wardes asked rhetorically._

_"Even if we can give Kurogasa a small opening to win, we have to do it!" Louise cried. Why was Wardes apparently so interested in leaving her Familiar behind?_

_At that point, the ship's horn blew. "Louise, we have to go, now!" Wardes sighed._

_"Then you go! Kurogasa and I will take a separate ship!" Louise called, running for the door again. "It will bring less suspicion from rebels anyway!"_

_"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that." Wardes said before regrettably, giving her a chop to the neck and knocked her unconscious, freaking out Guiche._

_"What the heck are you doing?!" Guiche gasped._

_"I apologize if it was rather… unorthodox, but the mission is top priority." Wardes said._

_"What about Kurogasa?" Guiche asked._

_"Not to worry. I'm sure he can handles things on his own. My spar with him tells me, he's more than capable."_

_"As much as I don't want to, we have no choice. The Prince's life is in danger and we must hurry before it's too late."_

_"Oh dear…" Guiche sighed._

* * *

Crap! The ship's about to leave!

I ducked under Medusa's swipe with her staff and fired several rounds at Gremlin, but he did that speed trick of his with his arms and blocked them all. Cursing softly I blocked Medusa's next strike and kicked at her abdomen. I managed to knock her away and I would've gone to press the attack, but Gremlin charged at me and started slashing at me while Medusa recovered.

_**"Oh c'mon Mahōtsukai, you're making this too easy for me!"**_ Gremlin giggled.

"Oh shut up!" I grunted, blocking both his swords at once before using a shoulder thrust to knock him away.

_**"Take this!"**_ Medusa shouted as she sent dark balls of energy at me and they hit me hard.

"GAH," I cried, launched clear off my feet and onto the ground. Why did the bad guys have to hit so hard? Smoke came out of my armor as I struggled to stand up. "Crap… at this rate…" I gritted. I'm gonna have to try the Flame Dragon ring again. I switched rings and flipped the Hand Author but…

**ERROR!**

Crap! C'mon you stubborn lizard, quit being a bastard!

**ERROR!**

_**"Aw. Did your magic go, kaput?**_" Gremlin teased.

"Urusai," I shouted. C'mon Dragon, give me something here!

**ERROR!**

OH, COME ON!

_**"Ara… it looks like the Mahōtsukai **_**is**_** out of magic."**_ Medusa said.

No, I have plenty! It's just my Phantom being stubborn! I was quickly running out of steam, magic and options. What was my next big plan going to be now?

**EXPLOSION! NOW!**

*BOOOOM!*

Medusa and Gremlin screamed as the explosion went off at their feet, sending them both flying away from the force. They landed in heaps, smoking from the heat. I turned around to see the White Wizard approach me.

"Him again?" asked Derflinger.

"At least he's helping out." I grunted as I stood up.

"Are you okay?" The White Wizard asked.

"Peachy," I grunted as I stood up. "I can't let this battle keep going. We've got to take these two down now before it's too late. I'm on a time–sensitive mission for the crown."

"Go. I'll hold them off." The White Wizard said.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"You are needed elsewhere," the White Wizard said to me. "Go! The Void User must be protected!"

"R–Right," I said.

"Before you go, take this!" He said, giving me a piece of paper.

"What is it?"

"Read it once you get to the ship."

I looked at the paper, but had no real reason to refuse and took it. I glanced one last time at the White Wizard before I took off running towards the port. If I didn't stop, I should be able to make it with only a few minutes to spare.

_**"Grrrr… how dare you!"**_ Medusa snarled as she and Gremlin got up. _**"Must you always get in our way?!"**_

"It is my fate," the White Wizard retorted, preparing to fight.

_**"Aw mou~ just go bye–bye!"**_ Gremlin shouted before the two Phantoms charged at the White Wizard.

* * *

I continued to run through the streets and I saw the ship in sight. Great! I still have time!

"Kurogasa," A voice shouted. I turned around to see… wait a minute, Guiche?!

"Guiche, what are you doing here?! I told you to head for the airship!"

"You did?" Guiche rubbed his head. "But you just let me go to the bathroom though… I still need to go come to think about it…"

"What? But I just saw you go to the airship!"

"Well someone jumped me," Guiche rubbed his head, revealing an impressive bump. "I woke up to explosions and wondering what happened."

"Someone jumped you?" I asked. "Who would-" I then stopped when I realized something. The Guiche I was with the whole time was… "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," It was that Doppelganger Phantom from the lake! He must have followed us or something! Crap! Louise and Wardes were alone with that blasted Phantom!

"What? What is it!?" Guiche asked.

"I got duped by that Doppelganger Phantom again!" I shouted.

"You mean the one from the lake?" Guiche blinked.

"It was pretending to be you and I sent him to where Louise and Wardes are!" I cried.

"Dear Founder!" the flirt gasped in shock. "We have to find them!"

"He's probably on the ship now!" I shouted before quickly switching rings and flipping the Hand Author.

**HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

Changing to my Hurricane Style, I wrapped Guiche under my arm like spare luggage before I took off into the air. Please let me get there in time!

* * *

See?! See?! I _told _you things were about to get crazy! Stay tuned you guys! You don't wanna miss this!


	10. Burn! Flame Dragon Appears!

Hey there guys! What's up?! It's Fenikkusumaru here and I'm here to give the newest chapter of Wizard of Zero! So let's get to it!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

I could see the flying boat in the distance. It was taking off and getting higher as it went. I pushed more mana into my flight, wanting to get there before it got too fast for me to keep up with. A Phantom was hiding out on board with Guiche's face. How had that Phantom known we were even going to be here?

"Can't you fly any higher and faster?!" Guiche shouted over the wind.

"I'm trying!" I shouted back.

Crap! It was climbing more! Gotta move faster!

I kept pushing more mana into my wind magic as best as I could, but it was no use. If this keeps up, I'm gonna ran out of magic!

"Yoohoo, Darling~"

I glanced back and… groaned in agony. How the heck did _she_ know where we were going?

Coming up from behind were Kirche and Tabitha, riding on top Sylphid.

"What are _you_ two doing here?!" I asked shocked.

"I wanted to come with you Darling!" Kirche beamed. "I mean to hoard you when she has that dandy with her. Louise has no class!"

"Not the real reason…" Tabitha murmured as Sylphid flew next to me and Guiche.

"Huh?" I blinked behind my mask.

"Message from the Princess…"

"You got a message for me from Henrietta?" I asked confused and Tabitha nodded.

"Wardes… traitor to the Tristain crown."

WHAT?!

I almost fell out of the sky with that one. Guiche's yelp of fright managed to get me back to normal, "A traitor? When? How? Why? Please use whole sentences Tabitha!"

"Wardes is an undercover spy working for the rebels, Reconquista."

I blinked, still stunned but then groaned, "This cannot get any worse."

"Reconquista needs Louise for their plan." Tabitha added.

It _did_ just get worse!

I let out a string of curses I'd rather not repeat. Focusing on the flying boat, I pushed my magic to send me after it at a faster pace. I was going to need a feast after this job…

"Get on…" Tabitha said.

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Save your magic. Get on." Tabitha repeated.

I dropped onto the dragon's back, secretly thankful that I could save some magic for that bastard spy and the Phantom. Of course Kirche took that moment to glomp me.

"Really…? Do we have to do this right now?" I sighed.

"Of course, right now!" Kirche giggled.

"Let me down please," Guiche groaned.

"Oh sorry…" I said, before letting Guiche sit behind me. Man, I hope Louise is okay…

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical_ _Wizard_ _Rings:_ _It contains_ _the power of the four_ _elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From the Sands of_ _Despair, a familiar with_ _modern magic is unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the_ _Jewel of Hope: Kamen_ _Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 10: Burn! Flame Dragon Appears!

_"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WARDES!" Louise shrieked. The cabin was less than pleasant at the moment._

_"Forgive me Louise, but the mission takes top priority." Wardes apologized._

_"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Louise shouted. "WE LEFT KUROGASA BEHIND WHILE HE'S FIGHTING THE PHANTOMS! HOW COULD YOU?!"_

_"For the good of the mission, we can't dally," Wardes insisted._

_*SLAP!*_

_Wardes looked shocked when Louise smacked him right across the cheek._

_"You… You…" She growled dangerously._

_Wardes looked back at Louise, still in shock. "Louise, I…"_

_"JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Louise yelled, before running out of the cabin with tears streaming down her eyes._

_"Well that went well." Guiche commented blandly._

_"She'll be fine." Wardes assured. "She just needs to calm down and think things through…"_

* * *

_Louise ran through the airship, not carrying about the passengers on the ships looking at her strangely before she finally went up to the top deck of the airship. How could Wardes do that to her? She was his fiancée! They were going to need Kurogasa's magic to help them! Why was he so insistent on leaving him behind? Was he jealous? Was he insecure? All of these questions ran through her mind as she continued crying over her familiar. He was left alone fighting a Phantom and he could be dead._

_"Kurogasa…" Louise sobbed._

* * *

"Ok, here's the plan." I said to Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche. "You three drop me off on the deck of the ship undetected and I'll take over from there. You just simply follow me without anyone noticing until we get to Wales's hiding place and you wait for me until I get them out of there."

The plan was that I would take the ship and confront the Phantom. We didn't want Wardes to know we were onto him though. He was the one who had the knowledge of where Wales was hiding out. If he bailed on us, we'd be stuck in Albion and he'd be off to finish whatever plans he had for Wales on his own.

"Do you think it's going to work?" Guiche asked.

"It _has _to." I said. "That's why we can't afford to have this mission fail at all costs."

Doppelganger was dangerous as it was. With his ability to imitate anyone, unless I got him by surprise, he could hide among the passengers with no way to find him. If he got into Albion which was in such a state of chaos, he could turn every magi capable person into a Phantom without anyone noticing with their petty civil war.

"Get going." Tabitha said before she flew up high above the airship, so people won't notice.

"Alright, I'm going." I said, before I slipped on the Hurricane Style ring and flipped the Hand Author to the left, "Henshin!"

**HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!**

I changed to my emerald form and rode the air before landing on the deck of the boat. I landed behind some barrels, likely supplies for up–top.

Oh that's right, the paper that White Wizard gave me. I better check that out first.

The note went as follows: Be warned. Wiseman is stationed in Albion, using even the people who orchestrated the civil war to his advantage. No one inside the country is trustworthy.

WHAT?! WISEMAN IS IN ALBION?!

It took all my control not to scream that out loud. Come on though, how much worse was this day going to get. I had Doppelganger on the boat, Wardes was a traitor likely out on some mission for the rebels, and now I was walking into Wiseman's direct sphere of influence. The country was probably crawling with Phantoms and neither the nobility, or the rebels know it!

However, my train of thought stopped when… I heard sobbing? I glanced around before I saw a flash of pink. Well what do you know? It was Louise and she was crying for some reason.

"Kurogasa…" She sobbed.

Oh man, she's been thinking about me? How sweet of her. I smiled gently at that and then decided to come out of hiding, going back to civilian form. After that, I walked towards Louise with her back facing me, before I said, "Yo!"

"Huh?" Louise turned and gasped when she saw me, "KUROGASA!"

"Heya," I waved before Louise tackled me to the ground with a hug.

"You idiot, I thought you were dead!" Louise sobbed.

"Sorry. I was… held up." I said sheepishly.

"Idiot," Louise continued to sob.

"Oi, oi, oi, I get it now. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry ya." I said, before I got her to look at me and wiped her tears. "Now c'mon, no crying okay? It's ruining your beautiful face."

"Idiot…" she mumbled, "Don't scare me like that."

"I said I was sorry." I chuckled before both us got up. Louise just sniffled, wiping her eyes. Why did she have to be so cute sometimes? It made being serious difficult.

"Alright then, Louise, I need to listen to me very carefully." I said, placing my hands on her shoulder. "Don't freak out or get angry with whatever I'm about to tell you. What I'm about to tell you now is very important and you really need to trust me on this."

"Okay," Louise nodded.

"Good," I nodded. "Okay, first of all there's a Phantom on the boat. It's pretending to be Guiche."

"What?" Louise gasped. "You mean it's that–"

"Yes, it's the Doppelganger Phantom. I don't know what his plans are. It's most likely to find a Gate in Albion. Not only that Medusa and Gremlin were there at the town. I think they were trying to keep me there while the Doppelganger Phantom made his getaway here."

What about Guiche?" Louise asked worriedly. "Is he–?"

"No," I shook my head. "I sent him ahead to Albion with Tabitha and Kirche."

"Kirche and Tabitha…?" Louise blinked. "What are _they_ doing all the way here?"

"That's just it. You see–"

"By the Founder, is that you Kurogasa?!" I heard Wardes's voice call out. I grit my teeth and put on a more pleasant face. I couldn't let Wardes know I was onto him yet.

"Uh, hey there," I greeted with a wave.

"By the Founder, you're alright!" Wardes smiled, coming up to me. "I heard from Guiche that you were attacked by Phantoms but, looking at you now, you somehow managed to escape!"

"A bit of luck, I have to admit," I sighed. "It wasn't easy."

"I have no doubt it wasn't. Well, now that you're here, we can finally continue on with our mission." Wardes said in relief.

"Of course," I nodded.

* * *

**"So… Wizard is on his way here…"** _Wiseman said to himself._

**"Yes Lord Wiseman," **_Medusa's voice echoed from a crystal ball._** "One of our agents reports that he is here on the Princess's orders. However it has also come to our attention that the Captain of the Griffon Squad is a double agent for Reconquista and plans to assassinate Wales and claim the girl's magic for their efforts."**

**"Is that so…" **_Wiseman pondered._** "Very well then, I will personally deal with Wizard myself while Doppelganger continues with his mission. What of the White Wizard?"**

**"We believe he is aware of both our movements and of Reconquista and is funneling information to all concerned parties," **_Medusa replied._** "He handed the Wizard a paper before letting him escape while he fought Gremlin and I."**

**"I see. And he escaped after Wizard left?"**

**"Correct."**

**"Disappointing," **_Wiseman shook his head._** "However, it is expected. Continue the mission."**

**"Yes Lord Wiseman," **_Medusa said, before the crystal ball lost its shine._

**"Wizard… I wonder if you're as strong as the first one. I suppose I should find out since I'm going out there personally."**

* * *

The ship soon arrived at the Albion Port and docked. Louise, "Guiche", Wardes, and I all got off with our supplies, horses, and Verdande in tow.

"Alright, where do we go from here Wardes?" I asked.

"I've been made aware of one of the last strongholds that the royalty has in the area," Wardes explained, pulling out a map. "Louise, make sure you keep the Water Ruby close. We are going to need it in order to prove to the men there that we are on their side."

"Yes Wardes." Louise nodded.

"Alright Verdande, if anyone can find jewelry, it's you. Sniff out the one that smells like Louise's." I said.

The mole gave off a soft coo before sniffing the air. After a moment, she began waddling off in what seemed to be a random direction.

"Are you sure that mole of yours can find its way to Wales, Guiche?" Louise frowned.

"Oh my darling Verdande has a nose like none other!" the false Guiche beamed. "She'll find the way!"

"Right…" I sweat dropped. "Well, let's follow the mole."

Unfortunately, while Verdande was able to go in a straight line by digging under or through obstacles, we did not have that luxury so we didn't have an easy time of it sometimes. But on the bright we were able to get through where we were supposed to go undetected. It'd be really bad if the rebels find us and if they did, we'd be in serious trouble and we'd have no choice but to abort the mission.

I was at first surprised that no one stopped us considering how we stood out, but then I remembered Wardes was working with the rebels so they likely had orders to leave us alone.

After going through the forest and crossing a couple streams here and there, we arrived at some church complex that seemed abandoned for some time. It was probably the best place for Wales to hide in. Churches were places civilians went to in times of crisis, not used as bases by soldiers. We approached the church doors, but there were no signs of anyone there. However, that was likely part of the ruse.

We opened the doors and it was somewhat dark and the place was empty.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Louise asked.

That was when the men in full suits of armor hiding in the pews and beside the doors all revealed themselves, pointing swords at us.

"Pretty sure," I nodded. I then placed a ring on and put it in front of the Hand Author.

**CONNECT! PLEASE!**

The small magic circle appeared and I pulled Derf out. "Yo, aibou what's up?" Derf asked.

"The usual," I replied, gesturing the knights. "In over our heads,"

"Haha, I like that!" Derf laughed.

"Hold on Kurogasa!" Louise said, getting in front of me. "Let me talk to them!"

"Please do before they try to kill us." I sighed.

Louise then turned to the soldiers and said, "My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière! I come on behalf of Princess Henrietta de Tristain to have an audience with Prince Wales!"

"And what do you want him for?" asked one of the knights. Louise didn't answer, but instead showed him the Water Ruby ring. The Water Ruby began to shine in the darkness, but oddly enough a similar light begin to shine from the hand of the knight talking to us. "The glow between the Water and Wind Ruby signifies the relationship between Henrietta and me." The knight said. Wait a minute, is the guy under armor–

"Your Majesty," Louise gasped.

The knight took off his helmet to reveal his face. I had to admit, the guy looked every bit a prince. Blonde hair, charming face, it was easy to see on looks alone why Henrietta fell for him. He was dressed exactly like his knights, likely to hide his identity in case of an attack.

"That's right. Prince Wales Tudor at your service." The prince smiled.

* * *

Louise and I were brought to Wales' private office. Louise handed over the letter we were to give to him and he quickly read it over. He was silent for a moment and he seemed to take solace in her words. Silent for a moment, he then set down the letter.

"I know of the letter you need," he nodded. Walking to a dresser he opened a drawer and removed a yellowed envelope with a broken wax seal on it. Looking at the letter sadly, he brought it over to us and handed it over to her. "Here. I would suggest you destroy it. We do not wish for it to land in the hands of the rebels. It would break the alliance Tristain is creating with Germania."

"Our orders were to retrieve it, not destroy it." I said.

In hindsight, why didn't we just destroy the letter? It would be safer for the Princess. Then again, Henrietta probably wanted at least a little bit of a reminder of her relationship with the man.

"And besides, that letter is proof that she loves only _you_, not the Emperor of Germania." I added.

"That may be, but I'd rather have that letter burned than risk the alliance between Tristain and Germania." Wales said.

"You'd sacrificed your own happiness for that?!" I asked incredulously.

"If it would ensure Henrietta's continued life so that she can one day love the man she marries, I will," Wales nodded.

*POW!*

I punched him straight on the face, with rage and anger on mine.

Louise made an enraged squawk and I expected Wales to be angry at me. However, he seemed resigned to what I did. Rather than be outraged, he got back up and checked to make sure he wasn't bleeding.

"Do you have any idea how heartbroken she was?! Begging for Louise and me to do anything to help?!" I asked. "She knew you wouldn't, but she all but pleaded for us to do something that will keep you from getting yourself killed! The rebels are winning! If something doesn't change you will die and can you imagine the pain it will cause her?!"

"I…" Wales got out.

"She loves you and _only_ you dammit!" I yelled. "She already lost her father! She doesn't need another loved one dying on her! I promised her that I'd bring you back to Tristain! If you were to die, she would fall into despair so much that she herself will die! You're her only hope!"

Wales looked like he got what I was talking about, but then he steeled herself, "As much as I want that, Albion needs me. I can't let it fall to those snakes calling themselves revolutionaries when they are the ones who orchestrated the crimes they used to rally the people against us. The nobles who swore fealty to my father let greed run their thoughts, thinking of nothing but titles and gold instead of the good of the country."

"Speaking of," I sighed. So there were people pulling the strings. "I have reason to suspect that the Captain of the Griffon Squadron who escorted us here is an agent for a group called Reconquista."

Louise squawked at me in surprise, "W–What?!"

I removed the messages both from the White Wizard and Henrietta from my pocket, "Two different sources sent word that evidence that Wardes is a secret agent, sent here to kill you, steal the letter to destroy the alliance, and take Louise away for Reconquista's war efforts."

"What? Are you sure?" Wales gasped.

"I'm positive." I nodded. "That's why I want you to come with us back to Tristain in the first place."

Wales was no longer safe in Albion. The rebels, Reconquista, whatever they called themselves already knew where Wales was and orchestrated events so they could get in close with them. If they could get agents in Tristain, then likely that had agents working within the ranks of the loyalists. Hidden and forced on the defensive in Albion, it would be easy for an assassin to take him out. As a refugee in Tristain, he would be properly protected.

"You may live for Albion, but to your men and loyal people you _are_ Albion." I insisted. "If you die, then Reconquista are guaranteed to win and we both know they won't stop. If its greed, religion, or some other reason these people aren't going to stop with just Albion. They're going to try for the other countries eventually, seeing it as their right or responsibility to take the other countries into their fold."

"L–Let me, see those!" Louise cried, snatching the letters from my hand.

"Oi," I said giving her the stink eye.

Louise opened both letters and paled as she read the words. During our flight to Albion, I read them over. The White Wizard's letter was a simple warning to Wardes' character, warning him that the man wasn't what he said he was. Henrietta's letter described how documentation was found in Wardes' office were decoded orders from a man named Cromwell which in simple terms, once flowery words and arrogance were filtered out, to kill Wales, take the letter so they could isolate Tristain for future invasion plans, and kidnap Louise so they could use her power to destroy and subjugate the masses, making them look holy if a Void User sided with them.

"N–No… it can't be…" Louise said stunned as she fell to her knees.

"Miss Vallière!" Wales gasped as he and I moved to keep her from hurting herself. He looked up to me when it seemed Louise as nigh catatonic. "What on earth–?"

"Like you, a severely broken heart, but worse because in this case it is betrayal." I sighed, Wales and I moving Louise over to his bed. "She and Wardes were engaged to be married. She's quite taken with him and for years he had been one of her sole supporters when her own family doesn't expect much from her. This betrayal cuts deep."

"What do we do?" Wales asked.

"For now, we play ignorant." I offered. "Wardes may have backup or superiors coming. If he kills you, he would have to run quickly and with Louise. He tried to leave me and Guiche behind, but if he tries anything his allies are going to come running to get him out and secure their objective. If they only think Wardes succeeded though…"

"What are you suggesting?" Wales asked again. "Do we fake my death?"

"Maybe not fake your death, but set off Wardes' signal to summon his backup." I offered. "After all, only your men are inside the church right now and no doubt Wardes' backup is hiding within watching distance."

"That's true." Wales pondered, putting a hand to his chin.

"However, we just need to trap Wardes in the act," I pointed out. "It's all well and good that we have accusations and supposedly proof. However, at the same time I have suspicions that it could very well be a ploy to trick you into burning bridges with Tristain."

"Yes. It would be something those snakes would do." Wales agreed.

I had no doubt that Kirche and Tabitha were sincere in having gotten the letter from Henrietta to deliver. What I did doubt was how Henrietta found out. It seemed to… coincidental that just as we are preparing to leave they discover the man's a traitor. The fact the White Wizard found out the same thing didn't fill me with confidence either.

"So the only way to be sure is to give Wardes the opportunity." I explained. "An opportunity no assassin could resist. If he goes for it, then we'll know and if he doesn't then we can guess the information is false."

"It's worth a shot." Wales nodded.

"Then let's do it." I said. With that, I grabbed the letter that Wales had and the two of us then went out the door until… we saw Ghoul Phantoms in front of us! I slammed the door shut, letting the Ghouls slam themselves against the door. I cursed inwardly, had Doppelganger decided to make his move?

"Crap… this isn't good!" I gritted.

"What were those creatures?" Wales asked.

"Ghoul Phantoms," I answered. "And with them around, there's a Phantom lurking around. We need to get out of here now!"

*WHAM!*

The door bulged from the Ghouls slamming into it. I grimaced, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to get out of it without a fight.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

"What are you doing?" Wales asked.

"I'm getting us out of here." I said before flipping my Hand Author to the left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

I flipped down the visor of my Flame Style ring and shouted, "Henshin!" before scanning the ring.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

"Amazing…" Wales said in awe. "You can do magic?"

"And use all four elements too." I grinned under my mask.

Another crash was all the door could take before it broke open and the Ghouls began to pile in. Well, it was a somewhat narrow door, meaning they could only come in a line through it towards me and Wales…

**FLAME SLASH STRIKE! HII, HII, HII! HII, HII, HII!**

Fire enveloped Derf and I swung to make a crescent of fire go straight to the line of Ghoul Phantoms and it hit them and some were destroyed in the process.

I waited for the flames to clear and saw that for the moment no more Ghouls were approaching. I dared to stick my head into the hall, but I heard the sounds of fighting coming from elsewhere in the church. Doppelganger must've decided to make his move after all.

"C'mon, let's get Louise and go!" I urged. "Stay close to me!"

We moved through the halls and I shot at some Ghouls who stumbled out of some of the rooms looking for us. Fortunately Ghouls went down easy even if destroying them was a little more difficult. I just needed them down, not destroying them for now. Where the heck was Doppelganger though and Wardes?

"I hope you have an escape route planned in advance." Wales said.

"Path of least resistance and lot of explosive spells." I replied.

"That's actually not that reassuring." Wales deadpanned a bit.

"Well it's the best we got until we learn more." I shrugged.

Wales and I along with Louise, who was quiet the whole time, continued running through the halls, with me taking out several Ghoul Phantoms along the way. After a few minutes, we saw the exit just up ahead.

"Okay, let's go before one of the big bad guys jump us." I motioned them to follow. But that proved to be wrong as a huge number of Ghoul Phantoms blocked the exit, "Dang!"

"You won't be going anywhere." A new voice said.

We turned to see who spoke and we saw two people walking through the rows of Ghouls. One was Wardes, which didn't surprise me. The other was a guy in long green robes which looked like clergy robes. He had hair styled in huge curls and he just had the face of sheer arrogance. He was also fiddling with a familiar-looking purple ring on his finger.

Wait a minute. That must be the Ring of Andavari the Water Spirit was looking for! And if that's the ring then that must be–

"Cromwell…" Wales growled.

"You've met?" I asked.

"He used to be the deacon of the church in Albion's capital city." Wales frowned. "In truth he's the leader of Reconquista, committing despicable crimes and then framing the royal family for it to con the people into supporting the rebels."

"Ah, so ignorant," Cromwell chuckled, acting like he was hearing children talk bad about him. "Prince Wales, it is by the will of the Founder himself that I unify the country and continue his crusade for the Holy Land. How can you in good conscience deny that mission?"

"A blind zealot… Joy," I groaned. I had heard way too much about guys like this. They convince themselves that they heard the voice of God that in some way that they're special so everyone should just bow down and kiss his feet to earn salvation. He'd pardon them of any crime as if he was the one who decided what was right and what was wrong.

"If you were truly on a holy mission you would have gone to the Pope about your so–called visions and would have gained the support of all the faithful!" Wales shouted back. "Instead you sin and commit crime after crime! At least be honest false priest! You do this for the sake of your endless greed and inflated ego!"

"He's right!" I said. "Faith and money will lead you nowhere Cromwell!"

And here I thought Osmund Saddler that led the Los Illuminados from the Resident Evil 4 game was bad enough.

"Oh? And when I have so many followers behind me and my vision?" he smirked.

"How many of them did you use that Ring of Andavari to make see things your way?" I asked.

Cromwell's smirk dropped and he clasped his ring almost protectively. He seemed shocked that not only did I know what the ring did, but I knew its title.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Water Spirit plays heavily into Founderism, does it not?" I asked. "I mean, with the faith in the elemental circle and the Water Spirit being the embodiment of one of those elements."

"Sure does!" Derflinger chirped.

"Then in terms of your religion, you committed a cardinal sin by stealing from it." I chuckled. "So you only wear the garb of a priest and speak holy words to collect followers. You're just as greedy and warmongering as the nobles you denounce. What a bloody hypocrite." I then turned to Wardes saying, "As for you, I _knew _there was something fishy about you! I can't believe you'd actually have the guts to not only betray the Tristain crown, but Louise of all people!"

"Tristain is a kingdom destined for destruction. I just joined the winning side, and it will truly be the winning side once Louise's Void Magic joins our cause," Wardes smirked.

"I'm not handing Louise over to you!" I snapped.

"Oh you don't have to." Cromwell smirked before holding up the Ring of Andavari and it glowed purple. Louise's eyes started to dull as if she was staring off into space. Without warning, she slowly began to walk towards Cromwell with Wardes waiting with open arms.

"Oh no, you don't!" I yanked Louise back.

"Is there no low you won't sink you heathen!" Wales growled.

"Tsk! I'm a holy leader! Everything I do is right!" Cromwell scoffed before he increased the power coming from the ring, making Louise's struggles grow stronger. Why was he focusing on Louise and not on me or Wales? Could he only focus on one person at a time with that ring or did he think he neutralized us already?

Thinking, I switched Derf to gun mode and fired a single bullet at Cromwell's hand and it hit right on target. The man let out the most girlish scream I ever heard, and that was even after that duel I had with Guiche. His hand was bleeding profusely from where I put a bullet through it.

…his finger with the ring on it rested on the floor.

"Forgot to tell him I had a gun didn't you Wardes?" I snickered.

"Tch…" Wardes scoffed before picking up the finger with the ring. "Ghoul Phantoms, deal with these miscreants! Kill the prince and bring Louise to me!"

WHAT?! How the heck did he have control over the Phantoms?! "Oh don't tell me Doppelganger killed him and replaced him," I moaned as the Phantoms advanced. "I'll feel a little bad for the two–faced slime ball."

"Hmph, I assure I am the real deal." Wardes said.

_**"I'm right over here!"**_ A new voice shouted.

Rising up from the pews, tossing aside a knight's bloody helmet was Doppelganger in his natural form.

"Aw jeez," I groaned. "So Wiseman's with the rebels too…?"

_**"Wouldn't you like to know…?"**_ Another new voice said. My eyes widened in shock at that voice. Entering from a door from next to the altar was the white and purple form of the Carbuncle Phantom calling himself; Wiseman. He was humanoid with random spikes rising from his flesh with purple gems running over his body, with one in the center of his chest.

Fudged Up, Beyond All Recognition was beginning to describe our situation.

"Wiseman…" I clenched my teeth in anger. This was the very same Wiseman that appeared in the series.

_**"At last we finally meet, Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai."**_ Wiseman said.

"That we do," I nodded. "Fueki is it?"

_**"Hmph… so you know my true identity."**_ Wiseman said.

"Who doesn't?" I asked rhetorically.

_**"Ah, that man did make a rather public mess of things."**_ Wiseman nodded. _**"However, you're a little out of date. I am not him. I am the Phantom he created."**_

"That doesn't matter with me anyways!" I said. "I don't know how you got here after Fueki was killed by Gremlin, but I know one thing: I can finish up what Haruto started!"

_**"Against these odds, without the power of Infinity?"**_ he scoffed. _**"Oh I would love to see you try."**_

"I don't try! I do!" I shouted before charging at Wiseman, but Doppelganger blocked me.

"Grrrr… Lord Cromwell, let us escape while we can." Wardes said.

Cromwell snarled, still cradling his hand but nodded, they both backed away and vanished into the crowd of Ghouls.

"Get back here you cowards!" I shouted, but it was no use as Doppelganger blocked the way.

_**"Now then… distract our Wizard friend here while I bring the Gate to despair."**_ Wiseman said to Doppelganger before pointing at… Wales?! No way! Wales is a Gate?!

_**"Ha, ha, ha,"**_ Doppelganger laughed before he transformed into Gremlin's shape, swords and all. "_**Shall we pick up where we left off at the lake?"**_

"Grrr…" I growled. "I might as well." I said before I went on the offensive and attacked Doppelganger. I gotta make this quick or Wales is done for.

_**"Hoh,"**_ Doppelganger/Gremlin laughed, striking back. I blocked his attacks but I couldn't retaliate when several Ghouls tried to get the drop on me. Slashing them away I backed off only for Doppelganger/Gremlin to leap over them at me.

_**"I got ya!"**_ Doppelganger/Gremlin said, before slashing at my armor, making sparks fly.

"Gah," Okay, it sucked that he could copy the image and the abilities of others! "Alright you, see if you can find the real me!" I said before switching rings and scanning it.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A clone appeared and the clone and I did the same thing.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

Two more clones appeared totaling four and the four of us, did it yet again.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

Eight clones in total were now there and all of us took up the fight with the Ghouls. In all the chaos, it would be hard to tell which one was the real me.

_**"That's not fair!"**_ Doppelganger/Gremlin whined.

"That's what you get for tricking me twice!" The clone and I shouted, before we all charged at him and the Ghoul Phantoms. The next few moments were something along the lines of total war. Plenty of chaos too and I wasn't entirely sure of everything that was happening around me. I was pretty sure we destroyed some religious stuff though. I just hoped being the good guy I wouldn't get punished for it.

All the while, Wales was protecting Louise from the Ghouls slashing at them with his sword when one of them got too close to her. Luckily for him Ghouls were about as bad as it could get when it came to fighting but they could sure take a lot of damage. We weren't going to last long with all this chaos going on and Wiseman was still waiting on the outside of it all, probably just waiting for Wales to get tired to he could swoop in and try to turn him into a Phantom.

So I decided to let the clones deal with Doppelganger/Gremlin while I rushed over to Wales and Louise, protecting them.

"Kurogasa isn't there anything else we can do! We can't let Wardes just get away with this!" Louise cried.

"We're in a bit of a pinch," I kicked a Ghoul away. "Care to give us some explosions? Bringing the house down might cover our escape."

"I… I don't know…" Louise said sadly looking away.

"C'mon Louise, this is no time to mope, around!" I urged. Louise scowled at me before she raised her wand and prepared the fireball spell.

_**"I do not think so."**_ Wiseman said before raising his hand and fired a dark energy ball, destroying her wand.

"Waugh!" Louise cried, dropping the smoldering remains of her wand.

"Louise!" I shouted, but then Wiseman was suddenly in front of me and attacked relentlessly with his hands and firing off dark energy balls at me. I suddenly realized why this guy was one of the most powerful of Phantoms. I had little defense against him as he hit me over and over again.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I yelled in excruciating pain as I was flying around like a rag doll.

_**"Hmph… Haruto did a lot better than you." **_Wiseman scoffed as he continued his attack.

I stumbled back, but my smart mouth seemed okay, "Hey, I'm just starting out you know… ugh…"

_**"Hmph… try to prolong the inevitable all you like, you won't win."**_ Wiseman said as he slowly approached us.

"I won't let you get near Louise and Wales!" I shouted before I switched again and flipped the Hand Author. "Oh man, please work now…" I said looking at the Flame Dragon Ring before scanning it.

**ERROR!**

Dang it! C'mon Dragon, what is wrong with you?!

**ERROR!**

Dragon you stingy bastard! I was going to _die_ if you didn't help! If I died, you'd go down with me!

**ERROR!**

C'MON DRAGON!

**ERROR!**

"DRAGON!" I yelled, swiping the ring again.

**ERROR!**

_**"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,"**_ Wiseman laughed. _**"What's wrong? Is your Phantom being stubborn?"**_

"Grrrrrrr…" I growled angrily.

_**"In that case, it makes my job a lot easier. Die."**_ He said before throwing a huge ball of dark energy at me.

My body was too sore to move at the speed that I needed to move. The attack would hit me right in the chest. If it struck me, I was pretty sure that I was going to get a new hole in my chest I shouldn't. As I was trying to move those, a pink blur got between me and the attack.

My eyes widened in realization when the one who got in front of me was… Louise?!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

My eyes widened in horror as Louise was sent flying through the air from the blast and she hit her head hard, knocking her unconscious and blood trickled down her head.

"LOUISE!" I screamed out. I then rushed over to her and cradled her in my arms. "Louise, Louise, wake up! Open your eyes! Louise!" I cried out, but there was no response.

_**"Ho~, what's this?"**_ Wiseman said amused. _**"That girl protected you from harm? Isn't that touching… but no matter, that's one less mortal I have to worry about."**_

"Louise! Louise!" I cried out desperately. At that point, Louise was stirring…

"Mmm…" Louise moaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Louise!" I cried out, "You stupid girl! Why did you do that?"

"You'd… get hurt…" she mumbled.

"That's the other way around! I should be protecting _you_!"

"And see you… get killed…?" Louise got out. "You're… my only hope… remember?"

My voice got caught in my throat when I heard her say that.

"I'm your Master… It's my… duty to protect… my Familiar…" She said, before going unconscious.

"Louise? Louise! LOUISE!" I shouted, trying to wake her up, but it was no use, "LOUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!"

A deep voice echoed inside my heart, _**"Now we're getting somewhere…"**_

_**"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, give up Mahōtsukai!"**_ Wiseman laughed. _**"You will never defeat me!"**_

"Yurusenai…" I muttered, while putting Louise down gently, before turning around to face him. "Zettai ni, yurusenai…!"

_**"Eh?"**_ Wiseman frowned.

"You'll pay for what you did to Louise!" I shouted, before I tried scanning the Flame Dragon ring again, and when I did, everything suddenly went black.

* * *

_I found myself on my knee in a black void. The only thing giving off light was my body._

_"Koko wa…" I murmured._

**"Well, well, well, look at you now."**_ A familiar voice said. I stood up and turned around seeing WizarDragon in front of me._

_"Dragon…" I then found myself growing angry before I lashed out with a punch, smashing my fist into his snout. "Ite~" I cringed, recoiling back my hand._

**"Feeling better?"**_ Dragon snorted._

_"Oh ha–ha, very funny," I grunted. "Where are we? Why have you brought me here?"_

**"I brought you here because you finally got the message that this is real." **_WizarDragon replied._** "This world isn't one of your little cartoons or armored hero shows. Actions have consequences and you have to be ready to deal with them. I wouldn't lend more of my power to some fanboy. Your lack of foresight got the brat hurt. She's not dead, but she's definitely hurt."**

_"I don't need to be told that!" I yelled._

**"And look where that got you…"**_ WizarDragon retorted._

_"I thought I was so dang smart," I grumbled. "I figured since this society was so backwards and I could use magic there was so much I could do. Only every step of this stupid mission we've gotten jumped by Phantoms or rebels and everything else that wants a piece of us! I underestimated everyone who was against us! I'm smart, but I'm just a student. Not a secret agent or military commander!"_

**"No, you're not,"**_ WizarDragon agreed. _**"But you can admit you're not, which a lot of the whining man–brats we've witnessed so far can't."**

_"Huh?" I said confused._

**"At least you're man enough to admit your faults and learn from your mistakes."** _WizarDragon said._

_"I just wish I didn't have to make those mistakes to learn things like that," I sighed. "Then people like Louise wouldn't have to pay for it."_

**"So what are you going to do about it?"**_ WizarDragon asked._

_I looked up at WizarDragon, "Crush Wiseman, Doppelganger, and all those Ghouls first. Then I'm going to make sure this kind of mess doesn't happen again!" I then added, "Besides, right now, you're my only hope of getting out of this mess."_

**"Funny,"**_ WizarDragon snorted. _**"Haruto said something like that to my predecessor."**

_"Wait, so you're _not_ the same WizarDragon from the series?" I asked incredulously._

**"No. A Phantom is unique to the people who generate them, but it is possible for two people to have the same type of Phantom,"**_ Dragon muttered. _**"You just got lucky and got a Phantom as understanding as me."**

_"Heh," I scoffed good–naturedly._

**"You know what? Maybe you're not so bad after all."**_ WizarDragon said. _**"You've gotten this far, so what's stopping you now?"**

_"I need to get back if you want me to keep going." I suggested._

**"You're right."**_ WizarDragon said before roaring and flying upwards in the black void. _**"Very well, I will grant access to my powers once again."**_ He said. _**"Use it well."**

_With that, he turned into magical energy and went straight inside my body, before everything went white._

* * *

**FLAME!**

Wiseman flinched back as fire ignited around me.

**DRAGON!**

The red magic circle then came out of me and slowly went towards me before it paused right in front of me and a fiery aura of Dragon flew around me.

**BOU! BOU! BOU, BOU, BOU!**

My coat section of my suit turned bright red as my chest armor became silver, resembling a dragon's head. My shoulder armor had turned to silver circular plating with round rubies in the center. My helmet had also changed slightly as well, sporting a gold head ornament like Dragon would wear with a round ruby embedded in the center.

I am now in Flame Dragon Style!

* * *

**BGM: Just the Beginning by Kamen Rider GIRLS**

_**"What?!"**_ Wiseman gasped. Several Ghouls responded to his shock and moved to stab me with their weapons. I reacted by slashing wide with a flaming Derflinger. I cut through all three of the Ghouls, causing them to explode.

"Hehehe… now we're getting somewhere." I smirked.

_**"That's impossible!"** _Wiseman growled.

"Not probable," I retorted. "It's time to end this!" I switched rings and flipped the Hand Author to my left before scanning the ring.

**VERY NICE! SPECIAL! FABULOUS!**

A flaming magic ring appeared behind me, erupting with a flaming image of WizarDragon. It flew around me before colliding with my back, causing a fireball to erupt from my chest. The fire from that formed a solid construct, becoming the WizarDragon's head that roared in challenge to all of the Phantoms.

Doppelganger took down my last clone and seeing me in my Flame Dragon style, _**"What in blazes?!"**_

"Take this!" I shouted, before WizarDragon's head spewed out a huge flamethrower at the Ghoul Phantoms.

The Ghouls stood no chance, lighting up like firecrackers before they exploded. Some tried to jump me, but all I had to do was turn around and they'd go up in flames. Wiseman shielded his face as more and more of the cannon fodder went up in smoke around him.

_**"Grrrrrrr… this is not what I had in mind."**_ Wiseman growled. _**"I will retreat for now, but mark my words! I will be back!" **_He shouted before he used his powers to make a portal and going through it before it closed.

_**"Master Wiseman, don't leave me behind!"**_ Doppelganger cried out, but to no avail.

"Looks like you're the only Phantom standing." I said.

_**"Grrr,"**_ Doppelganger hissed, taking Medusa's form. _**"I won't lose to you and your traitor Phantom!"**_ He charged at me with Medusa's weapon raised.

"Think again!" I shouted before switching rings and opening the Hand Author on Derf.

**COPY! PLEASE!**

A small magic circle made another WizarSwordGun, now possessing two and I charged at Doppelganger/Medusa with me on the attack.

"Let's do this Partner!" Derflinger cheered.

"You said it brother!" his copy agreed.

Doppelganger/Medusa struck with Medusa's weapon, but I blocked with one sword and slashed with the other before elbowing his back to make him stumble forward. Doppelganger/Medusa turned around and tried again, but the result was the same: Block, slash, elbow.

_**"Grrrrr… Why can't you just die already?"**_ Doppelganger/Medusa shouted.

"Sorry, but I'm not that easy to take down." I retorted. Doppelganger/Medusa snarled and leaped back, his visor beginning to glow. I knew that power, Medusa's ability to turn anything she looked at to stone!

"I don't think so!" I shouted before I switched rings and flipped the Hand Author.

**DEFEND! PLEASE!**

A wall of molten rock formed in front of me to protect me from the visor. The attack splashed off the lava uselessly. Seeing my chance, I shifted both my weapons into gun mode and shot the wall. It served to destroy the wall, and shower Doppelganger/Medusa with silver and molten rock, "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Doppelganger shrieked as the lava melted him, changing him back to his regular form.

"Finale da!" I shouted, before switching rings again.

**VERY NICE! SPECIAL! FABULOUS!**

The Drago Skull on my chest roared again as it appeared before unleashing another stream of fire.

Doppelganger screeched in pain as he was being burned alive. After a while, he was still burning alive, but all the while I landed safely on the ground and I turned around with my back on him saying, "Take your final bow Doppelganger!"

_**"GYAAAAAAHHHH!"**_ he screamed out before he promptly exploded, making for a better light show than the Ghouls did.

I then sighed in relief going back to civilian form. "Phwee_…_"

**End BGM**

All the while, Wales was taking care of Louise while looking at the battle and he was in awe the whole time.

"I think we should get out of here," I advised him.

"Yes, let's," Wales nodded.

* * *

I carried Louise in my arms with Wales following me as we went out of the church. As soon as we got out–

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY, OVER HERE!" A voice shouted.

We all looked up to see Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche on Sylphid with the latter carrying Verdande in its claws.

"Good to see you guys," I waved. "Care to make a speedy exit?"

"We sure can Darling!" Kirche cooed, before noticing Louise in her condition. "Oh my, what happened to _her_?"

"Long story…" I sighed. "But let's get out of here!"

We all loaded up on Tabitha's dragon, leaving the church to burn behind us. I just hoped that I don't get cursed for that.

* * *

So, what do you think of that huh?! The Wiseman from the series is there and Kurogasa has gained his Flame Dragon Style! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as Paladin and I did writing it, so until next time, see ya!


	11. Zero Treasure

Hey there everyone, it's Fenikkusumaru again! I apologize for giving you double features every few days, I should've warned you. My bad ^_^; But anyways, we're almost near the end of the first season, so let's get on with the story!

Dislcaimer: Same thing.

* * *

The next day came by after I managed to get Wales and Louise out of Albion with the help of Kirche and the others. To give a quick recap, Louise and I met Wales, got the letter, got surrounded by Ghoul Phantoms while meeting Cromwell, Wardes, Doppelganger, and Wiseman, the former two escaped, I got Flame Dragon Style, causing Wiseman to retreat and destroy Doppelganger.

It was a long day.

Wales was reluctant to leave, but news quickly reached us that the rebels were already crushing many of the remaining cells of loyalists. It turned out the rebels had already known where those cells existed and were waiting for the death of Wales to make their move. Since that plot failed, they went ahead for a crushing victory. It wouldn't endear them to the people as much as they liked, but at this point Reconquista were more concerned about winning than their political ideals.

Fortunately we had Tabitha who snuck us all out on Sylphid's back. We had returned to Tristain under the cloak of night and just got the hell out of dodge. We weren't sure how many sympathizers were to be found in port cities and we didn't want to make ourselves targets. So we rode all night until we got to the capital where Henrietta was waiting for us. We arrived at dawn and had just come to her throne room to report in.

"Thanks for dropping us off Tabitha…" I sighed as Wales and I got off Sylphid after landing several feet away from the castle.

"You're welcome…" Tabitha nodded.

"I want you girls and Guiche to head back to the Academy. Get Louise's wounds treated there. I'll take Wales to Princess Henrietta." I said as I looked at Louise who was still unconscious.

"Right…" Tabitha nodded before a tap to her familiar's head had them all flying off again.

"Shall we?" I asked Wales. "Henrietta will be thrilled to see you."

"I don't doubt that." Wales smiled. "Lead the way."

* * *

**(Cue Kamen Rider Wizard OST: Pulse of Fate)**

_The magical Wizard Rings: It contains the power of the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth._

(The magic seal appears with the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style rings float out from it.

_From_ _the_ _Sands_ _of_ _Despair, a familiar_ _with modern_ _magic is_ _unearthed._

(A silhouette of a hand appears as the Flame Style ring slides into his left middle finger and the Driver On ring slides into the right middle finger.)

_He is known as the Jewel of Hope: Kamen Rider Wizard._

(The figure Kurogasa Kururugi hovers in front of the magic circle and looks at the screen, before turning into Kamen Rider Wizard.)

**(Cue in Life is SHOW TIME!)**

**(Maji ka?!** **Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** The montage starts with Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Wizard with the entrance of Tristain Magic Academy behind him. He scans the Dragorise Ring and raises his arm in the air before a big magic circle appears from above and WizarDragon comes out of the magic circle, flying into the sky. Kamen Rider Wizard then jumps onto WizarDragon's before the latter spew out flames, making the title: The Wizard of Zero appear before WizarDragon flew away, made a u–turn, and flew towards the screen before shifting to the next scene.

**(Maru de tsuki to taiyou)** In the classroom, Louise tried to do a spell, but it backfired, causing her to make an explosion, and it showed her dirty with her clothes messed up after the smoke cleared.  
**(Kasanaru toki no shougeki!)** The scene then changed to outside with Siesta serving food, to one of the students, before she looked up and noticed Kurogasa who was walking around the courtyard.  
**(Dare datte kiseki wo shinjitemitai)** Kurogasa looked at his Style Rings in one hand before clenching them and looked up in the sky as a solar eclipse happened and the scene suddenly shatters to pieces.

**(Kitto hitsuyou~ fukaketsu no)** Kirche was surrounded by a bunch of men who were enamored by her while Tabitha sat quietly on the bench while reading her book.  
**(ENAJII~ kokoro tame)** Guiche tried to woo another girl, but Montmorency wouldn't have any of it, as she pinched his ear, making Guiche flail in pain.  
**(Yume to yosou ii ima de uragitte kureru mono~)** The scene then changes to a quick montage of the other characters show starting with Osmond, Colbert, Longueville (Fouquet), Jessica, Scarron, Princess Henrietta with Prince Wales, Wardes wielding his sword wand, Cromwell smiling evilly wearing the Ring of Andavari, and finally a silhouette of a Phantom before light shone on it to reveal Wiseman, before the camera shows Kurogasa, ready to transform.

**(3! 2! 1! Show Time!)** On "3" He flips his Hand Author to the left. At "2" Kurogasa slips on his Flame Style ring. At "1" he places the Flame Style ring in front of the Hand Author. And at "Show Time" a bright white light engulfs the entire screen before fading to the next screen.

**(Magic time~! trick janai!)** Kurogasa transforms into Kamen Rider Wizard and twirled around before showing his Flame Style ring.  
**(Mahou wo hero hanpa nee zo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** Garuda, Unicorn, Kraken, and Golem jump towards the screen before showing Wizard stuck his arm out to the side as the elements of fire, water, wind and earth spread out behind him.  
**(Kioku no ROOTS moguri–konde)** The spell circles slide over Kurogasa, changing him into Water Style, Hurricane Style, and Land Style.  
**(Kibou wo tsukui dasou~)** In Land Style, Kurogasa uses the Drill ring to drill down into the ground, disappearing.

**(Show Time!)** Siesta, Jessica, Scarron, Henrietta, Colbert, and Osmond pop out of nowhere and shout, "Show Time!" before popping down to reveal the next scene.

**(Life is Show Time! tobikkiri no)** The next scene shows Kurogasa riding on the Machine Winger with Louise sitting behind him as WizarDragon flew beside them before Kurogasa revved up his Rider Machine and jumped on WizarDragon's back, letting the wheels of the machine become the wings.  
**(Unmei DORAIVU mucha shitemo [Mahaluto Hallelujah!])** WizarDragon then flies through a magic circle, appearing on the other side flying over the top of the Tristain Academy.  
**(Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai)** Louise smiled seeing the sight, but the joy was cut short when Kirche somehow got through the magic circle too and landed between Kurogasa and Louise and Kirche hugged Kurogasa from behind much to his dismay and Louise suddenly gets ticked off.  
**(Subete no namida wo~!)** As they pass a tower, though, a silhouette is seen of a young man with a newsboy cap and a giant winged lion against it.

**(Show Time!)** Derflinger in the WizarSwordGun pops out of nowhere and shouts "Show Time!" before popping back down to the next scene.

**(Houseki ni kaette yaru ze)** Four versions of Wizard, each one in a different style, converge on one another, merging into one in a big flash of light.  
**(Maji ka?! Maji de?! Maji da! Show Time~!)** Louise holds up her wand and winks at the camera as Kurogasa smirks as puts on the Flame Style ring and transforms into Wizard one more time as he and Louise freeze, the show logo appearing.

* * *

Chapter 11: Zero Treasure

After walking to the guards and explaining our situation, the guards immediately let us through and we walked into the castle until we came to the doors of the throne room. "Okay, you stay here for a bit. I wanna surprise Henrietta."

"Must we?" asked Wales.

"After everything, I want to give as much good news as I can," I replied.

"Well, ok. If you say so," Wales said.

"Good." I nodded with a smile before I went into the throne room and closed the door behind me. In front of me, Henrietta was waiting.

"Ah, Sir Kurogasa," Henrietta smiled. "I am glad you returned. Where is Louise Françoise?"

Oh crap… that's not how I wanted to start it off. Oh well, might as well get it over with.

"She's…" I said. "How should I say this? To be blunt, she's in critical condition…"

Henrietta gasped, turning pale, "What?!"

"The leader of the Phantoms is allied with Reconquista," I sighed. "He struck Louise with a spell aimed at me during a fight."

"I–Is she–"

I raised a hand to stop her from speaking before saying, "She's fine… Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche are taking her back to the Academy for treatment…"

Henrietta slumped in her chair, "Again… my selfishness hurts people. Even my best friend…"

I smirked at that, "Well, on the bright side, your selfishness saved _one_ person."

"Huh?" Henrietta blinked looking up at me.

I smirked wider before I went to the door and opened it. On cue, Wales came right in.

"Wales!" Henrietta gasped, with her hands over her mouth. She looked in disbelief as if he would disappear if she did anything.

"Henrietta…" Wales murmured.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAALES!" Henrietta shouted before getting up from her throne and running towards him.

Henrietta grasped Wales desperately, breaking out into open sobs as he held her close. He was whispering something to her, but I couldn't hear what. Deciding to let the pair have their moment, I stepped outside and kept an eye out for anyone who might interrupt them.

But during that, I leaned my back against the door and I felt my heart ache a little bit as I had my hand on my chest. Henrietta now has the love of her life, and now I must forever keep silent. Women like her were one in a million. She wasn't just beautiful with her looks, but also in her heart. I doubt I'd ever meet another girl who was just as driven, honest, and dedicated. I was really hoping I'd get a chance with her but now I know that won't happen. As long as she had Wales I'd never get that chance.

_**'It hurts doesn't it,'**_ Dragon said in my mind.

_'Eh?'_ I said in my mind too.

_**'Oh don't be surprised,'**_ Dragon muttered. _**'Since delving into my magic to make that Dragon form, you strengthened our link.'**_

_'Well… yeah, I guess…'_ I said.

_**'You should've taken that chance.'**_

_'And ruin her relationship with Wales? I don't think so.'_

_**'But your heart says otherwise.' **_Dragon countered._**'You love her.'**_

_'Who wouldn't?' _I retorted,_ 'A woman like her?'_

_**'And now you must forever keep silent.'**_

_'I know… I'll get through it… somehow…'_

_**'Don't tell me you're going to fall into despair like this, are ya?'**_

_'Are you kidding me? Of course not,' _I said incredulously._ 'Still… It's going to be a while before I heal…'_

_**'Just don't go writing bad poetry and I'll survive.'**_Dragon commented.

_'Oh you won't get arguments from me on that.'_

* * *

After Henrietta thanked me for getting Wales out of Albion, I went out the castle and used my Connect Ring to pull out my Machine Winger and drove all the way back to the Academy.

Coming to a stop at the Academy, I saw Colbert waiting for me. He looked especially worried about something. I really didn't have to guess what when he came running towards me. He wasn't even curious about my machine.

"Kurogasa, what in Founder's name happened to Miss Vallière?!" he gasped out. "All the other students would tell us is that the Princess sent you to Albion!"

"It's a long story Professor…" I sighed.

"I think the Headmaster and I will need to hear it, especially if the Princess is involved," Colbert nodded. "But right now Miss Vallière is asking for you."

"Ok, thank you." I nodded back before I went on my way to Louise.

I headed straight to the medical wing where injured students went to get their injuries fixed. Upon arriving, I found Louise sitting up in the bed looking much better than when I left her.

"Kurogasa, you have some explaining to do!" she huffed at me.

"And a hello to you too…" I deadpanned.

Strangely, I missed this.

"I demand an explanation!" Louise repeated.

"…" Well, I may as well make a long story short. "I drove off Wiseman, killed Doppelganger, wiped out the whole mess of Ghouls, and brought Wales back to Tristain."

Louise then asked, "What about Sir Wardes?!"

"Long gone…" I said. "He escaped with Cromwell."

Henrietta did report that she would be confiscating everything of the Wardes Family for his treason. Likely if he ever showed his face again he'd be arrested, tried, and convicted of treason as well. I could only imagine what Louise's family would think once news got back to him over their choice in future husbands for their daughter.

"Mmmmmmmmm…" Louise got out before she looked away with the pain of betrayal on her face. Things were silent for a while before I decided to break the ice.

"Louise, I'm really sorry…" I apologized. "I…"

"Wh–Why should you apologize?" Louise stuttered as he had her head down, the bangs of her hair covering her eyes. "Y–You didn't do anything wrong…"

"Louise…"

"Y–Y–Y–You just wanted to p–p–p–protect m… us…" Louise stuttered, but it was obvious that she was desperately trying not to cry. "Y–Y–Y–Y–You didn't b–b–betray me… w–w–want to use me… see m–m–me as p–p–p–property…*Sniff*"

That's when I went up to her and hugged her, catching her by surprise. "Wh–What are–"

"Let it out…" I muttered.

"Huh…?"

"Let it out Louise… I won't judge…"

Louise trembled. I think she tried to deny it as her noble upbringing demanded, but she couldn't. She broke out into sobs and clutched at my shirt. She let off loud sobs of heartbreak as one of the only people she felt believed in her betrayed her in one of the worst ways.

"What in Founder's name is going on?" A voice asked a bit annoyed as I looked up to see Guiche, Montmorency, Tabitha, and Kirche coming over. They probably wanted to visit Louise. But when they saw me with a crying Louise in my arms, I shook my head.

Surprisingly, Kirche managed to clue in first and she began ushering everyone back out of the room. Tabitha got it a split second later and helped bring out the confused Montmorency and Guiche. Most of them knew Wardes was a traitor, but they didn't know that he and Louise had been engaged.

Wardes… when I see you again, you're a dead man…

* * *

_"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, this bleeding won't stop!" Cromwell wailed out girly._

_"It is a grievous wound sir." the healer tried to reassure the man. "But we must first stem the bleeding before we can place the digit back on!"_

_"Well don't just stand there! Do it already!" Cromwell shouted._

_"Yes sire." The healer bowed before getting to work._

_Meanwhile, Wardes was looking on from outside Cromwell's room and sighed in annoyance. No doubt in his mind that Cromwell was a great ruler, but there are times when Cromwell can get a bit childish over the most trivial things such as having his finger blown off._

_Sadly, the mission which would have been the key to cementing the people's loyalty and Reconquista's victory had flubbed. Wales lived, so did the Gandalfr, and they did not have Louise and her Void magic. All of Reconquista's plans were starting to fall apart and it's all thanks to that Gandalfr. For some reason, he was aware of his plans and he somehow managed to counter it. How he was able to obtain such information was beyond him._

**"Trouble in Paradise?"**_ A voice asked. Wardes looked to his left to see Wiseman walk towards him._

_"What do _you_ want?" Wardes frowned._

**"Just checking in,"**_ Wiseman replied, approaching the traitor. _**"Is the fool still whining over his finger?"**

_"More or less," Wardes sighed. "More importantly," He turned to Wiseman, "I find it most difficult as to why you decided to aid our cause?"_

**"Who can say?"**_ Wiseman shrugged._

_"You can hardly expect me to believe that." Wardes frowned._

**"Believe what you will."**_ Wiseman shrugged. _**"As far as your society is concerned, I'm not human therefore everything I do is suspect. As if humans are so trustworthy,"**

_"Hmph… Then I guess I have to watch my back from now on."_

**"Men who burn their bridges always do." **_Wiseman laughed, turning away. _**"And you burned quite a lot of them, haven't you: The Tristain Royal Family, the Vallière Family, and the Gandalfr of all people. Quite the list of enemies you collected in one day."**

_"And I'll wipe that list clean once I've dealt with them…" Wardes said._

**"I think I'd like to see that,"**_ Wiseman left the room. _**"Don't overestimate yourself though. You know where that will lead."**

_Wardes glared at Wiseman once more before looking back at Cromwell._

* * *

For the past few days, Louise has been depressed. She skipped her classes, didn't eat her meals, and foregone sleep. She was a real mess.

I'm trying to help her as best as I could, but I couldn't do anything.

I was hardly an expert on heartbreak. The only kind I knew was letting a chance slip me by. Louise thought she had her prince charming only for him to be the wicked monster in disguise. He didn't care for her at all, he only was nice to her because of her name and then he wanted to use her power to suit his needs. How can someone just get up from that again?

Not only that, Henrietta told me that she got word from the Emperor of Germania that the arranged marriage was null and void due to what he heard on sheer, I repeat, sheer hearsay.

Apparently he heard about how Wales had taken refuge in Tristain with her. Someone kicked up the rumor that the two used to be lovers, which was true but they didn't know that. The Emperor apparently didn't like that and decided that Henrietta was a bit too promiscuous for his tastes. He had no evidence to think that, but he broke the engagement anyway. Now Tristain was hung high and dry.

As of right now, I'm in my house polishing my rings as I thought about those things, however, that and Louise's health has gotten me cranky.

"Gah, this is ridiculous! Why does the world, have to be so crazy?!" I yelled to no one in particular before I lied on the floor, frustrated. What happened to the simple days where I only had to worry about getting along with Louise? To be honest, this world ain't what it's cracked up to be. I mean sure, in my world there were these kinds of things in the past, but this is happening in the here and now! And I don't like every bit of it!

"Kurogasa…?" Siesta's voice asked.

I sat up saying, "Hm?" Dragging myself to the front door, I opened it to find Siesta there. "Oh, hi Siesta," I greeted. Looking at her now, she was wearing a simple white blouse and long brown skirt, with black boots and she was carrying a suitcase for some reason. "Going somewhere?"

"Yes," Siesta nodded. "I have a vacation coming up so I decided to go home and visit my family. It's been a while since I've seen them and I've been missing them."

"I see." I said. Hey… that gives me an idea. "Say Siesta, mind if you bring along two more people with ya?"

"Huh?" Siesta blinked.

"Louise has been… pretty bad ever since her fiancé dumped her," I explained. That was the cover to Louise's current mood which wasn't entirely untrue. "I think some time away from all the nobility would help her express herself as she should instead of bottling it all up. And I need some time off from this academy too. So… do you mind if Louise and I tag along?"

"Oh sure, I don't mind." Siesta smiled. "In fact, I can ask to rent a horse and carriage if you'd like."

"Sure, that'd be great. Thanks." I smiled back.

"Ok, I'll be right back. Please go get Miss Vallière while I do so." Siesta said before running off. Odd, she seemed more excited to have company than before with just the trip.

But I shrugged it off, thinking it was nothing. So with that, I got my rings and went off to Louise's room to check up on her.

When I got there, I opened the door and sighed seeing her still curled up in a corner like she always was, the past few days. "Louise…" I said before going up to her and kneeling down to her level. "What are you doing back in the corner again?"

"I just don't feel like going out," Louise huffed.

I shook my head. Louise was really determined not to go anywhere so she could stew on her hurt feelings, "Louise, I think it's high time that you get out and go somewhere. How about going into the countryside?"

"Why would a noble like me go out there?" Louise frowned, her pride taking the reins again.

"Because no nobles will be out there," I retorted. "No one will recognize you, no one will know your reputation, and you can relax focusing on working out your feelings instead of keeping them bottled up afraid, and people judging you for not acting like a noble."

"I don't–"

"No, you need to relax." I said, immediately getting her up to her feet. "A day at the countryside won't hurt you. Besides, we're going with Siesta on this one."

"The maid?" Louise frowned.

"Yes. She's going on vacation to visit her family and this is the perfect time to go."

Louise frowned, looking at me as if I had an ulterior motive? What? So what if Siesta had shown obvious affection to me… and willingly shared a bath with me… and seemed for a while under the impression I proposed to her… It didn't mean anything funny would happen!

"If you're thinking those funny thoughts, nothing is gonna happen between me and Siesta…" I sighed. "Besides, her whole family is gonna be there so most likely, they'll be keeping an eye on me so I don't do any of those things."

Later I would look back on that statement and groan at how naïve I was being.

"So… you _are_… planning to those things with that maid?" Louise growled, her eye twitching.

Uh–oh…

"No, no, no." I quickly shook my head. "I may be friends with Siesta, but I don't have those kinds of intentions towards her! Honest!"

"Is that right…?" Louise growled. "Then can you explain about the maid joining you in that bath the other day?"

Oh crap! She saw that?! "Uh… that took me by surprise too…" I mumbled.

"YOU BIG, BAD, DOG!" Louise shouted before pulling out her spare wand and–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Oh the stars…

* * *

After a Louise calmed herself down and got ourselves clean, separately mind you, Louise agreed to come with me and Siesta. Although her reason was that so she can relieve some stress from me. I didn't care for her reason so long as she got to relax. So with that, Louise and I got our suitcases of clothes and put them in the back of the carriage before heading inside the coach with Siesta taking the reins before we set off for Siesta's village. "You'll like it at Tarbes Kurogasa," Siesta smiled. "It's a small town, but it's peaceful with lots of friendly people! My family will love you meet you too! I told them about you in my letters!"

"You did?" I laughed sheepishly as I felt Louise's cold hard stare on me.

"Mn," Siesta nodded. "I told them all about how you rescued me from that awful Phantom."

"I see. Is there anything else?"

"Oh just a few stories like how you helped rescue Princess Henrietta and saved the Staff of Destruction," Siesta smiled. "They were so excited to hear the stories."

"I bet they are." I said. I sweated profusely as I felt Louise's stare harden really bad.

"My little brothers and sisters will really be excited to hear I brought you back with me," Siesta continued. "Father says they always want to hear more stories about you. They think you're a magic knight of some sort."

"Well they're not too far off." I said. It was kinda true too. Kamen Rider Wizard _is_ kinda like a magic knight.

"Oh they'll love it!" Siesta smiled.

"I'm sure they would…" I laughed sheepishly before I looked to Louise and she looked really ticked off. "W–What is it Louise?"

"You… You… You slobbering DOG," Louise screamed, going for her wand. I immediately dove to try and keep her from blowing us all up and our luggage.

"No way Louise, you're not blowing all of us up!" I said as I tried to grab for Louise's wand.

"I won't! I'm just going to punish _you_!" Louise cried back, struggling in my grip.

Thinking quickly, I managed to get a ring from my pocket and placed it in Louise's finger before putting it over my Hand Author buckle.

**SLEEP! PLEASE!**

"Fuuuu…" Louise conked out immediately, snoozing softly against our luggage.

"Whew," I wiped my brow. "One disaster averted."

"Is everything okay?" Siesta asked, looking behind us.

"U–Uh, yeah everything's fine." I laughed sheepishly with a sweat drop.

"Ok, we'll be in Tarbes very soon. So sit tight okay?" Siesta smiled.

"Sure," I nodded. Louise should be asleep long enough to get there. She wouldn't be happy, but we could work through it once she saw people were around. She wouldn't flip out in public… hopefully.

* * *

We soon arrived at Tarbes and by the time we arrived, Louise had finally woken up.

It was a humble little town. Seemed like one of those quaint little places you hear about in storybooks. A few people were milling about. Most of the people were working out in the farm fields though. Only women were in town, going through the few businesses in the village to get food and supplies for their families.

"So, how do you like it?" Siesta asked as she, Louise, and I walked with our luggage in tow after dropping off the horse and carriage to a nearby stable in town.

"It's… very quaint." I admitted.

"Thanks. We like it that way," Siesta smiled. "What about you Ms. Vallière?" But Louise didn't respond. "Ms. Vallière?"

"It's… nice." Louise admitted.

She must be still out of it… I went up to her and whispered in her ear, "C'mon Louise, you gotta relax…"

"But… everyone's staring," Louise hissed back, pointing out to a few locals who were gossiping and looking at us.

"Don't worry about it." I whispered. "As long as you don't mind them, you'll be fine and they won't mind you."

"Mnn," Louise mumbled, feeling self–conscious. Likely she was paranoid about her noble status being exposed or news about Wardes reaching even the small town.

"Can you please try? At least do that for me?" I asked.

Louise was silent for a while before nodding small saying, "…I'll try."

"Thank you." I said, before saying to Siesta. "Okay Siesta, lead us to your house."

"My pleasure, this way," Siesta smiled.

We were lead more to the rural portions where the farmhouses were kept. After walking down the road for a while, we came to one of the farmhouses. It was decently sized, likely the family who lived in it were of decent means. Coming closer, we were surprised when a mess of small children came pouring out the front door, all of them cheering for Siesta.

The kids all cheered seeing their big sister come home, "SIESTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Your siblings I take it?" I asked.

"Yes." Siesta smiled before all of them ran towards Siesta and gave her a tackle hug, sending her to the ground. Meanwhile, two more people came out of the house and I'm about 100% sure that it's her parents. Her father was a tall and rather stout–looking man. Her mother I could have sworn was an older version of Siesta with a different hairstyle.

"Well if it isn't Siesta! She's home!" Her father laughed heartily.

"Hello Father! Hello Mother!" Siesta greeted amid the squirming and cheering bodies of her siblings.

"Hello dear. It's so good to see you home." Her mother smiled as she and her husband approached us. "And I see you've brought some friends."

"Yes, I did." Siesta said as she managed to get up from the sea of siblings. "This is Louise Vallière and Kurogasa." She said gesturing to us.

"Oh, so _you're_ the boy that Siesta talked about huh?" Siesta's father said as he came up to me and placed his big hand on my shoulder.

"Uh… I am sir." I winced as I felt his hand squeeze a bit tight on my shoulder.

Oh boy. Overprotective parent… Joy…

"My, and you're such a handsome boy too." Siesta's mother praised. "I'm sure you and Siesta will make a great couple together."

"M–Mother," Siesta stuttered with a blush and I blushed too. Me and her together…?

"It's a little early for that dear," Siesta's father chuckled, but his grip only got tighter.

"Dear, Siesta's already seventeen. She should seriously consider finding a man instead of slaving away in that school," her mother insisted. "The stories I hear of what some nobles get up to with maids. Brrr,"

"W–Well, i–in any case, let's all go in. I'm actually kinda hungry now that I think about it." I laughed nervously.

"Of course!" the missus beamed. "We can get to know each other!"

"Yes, we can know each other more. A _lot_ more," Siesta's father smiled as his grip got _really_ tight.

I'm starting to think that maybe this wasn't a good idea after all…

* * *

_Back at the academy, spirits were not quite as high. The courtyard had many students lounging about. Since it was a vacation period, there weren't any classes going on. So what students remained didn't have much to do. So Kirche was lying on the grass, poking absently at a flower. Tabitha was lying against Sylphid while reading a book. At another part of the courtyard, Guiche was pleading with Montmorency who was sure that he had gone off philandering with another girl again._

_"Ughhhhhh… this is so~ boring." Kirche moaned. "There's nothing to around here."_

_"Relax…" Tabitha uttered._

_"But I need stimulation!" Kirche whined. "Darling isn't even around to take away my tension!"_

_"You scare him…" Tabitha added._

_"Darling's just shy," Kirche huffed._

_"Terrified of you…"_

_"He is not!" Kirche denied._

_"That's a lie…"_

_"Hmph," Kirche huffed._

_"Excellent, with the Headmaster's permission I can finally go off on my expedition!" Colbert's voice said._

_"Hm…?" Kirche looked up, seeing the bald professor almost skipping in delight, holding what looked like a bunch of official documents in his hands. Now curious, as opposed to doing nothing, Kirche headed out to see what he was up to. Tabitha merely sighed and shut her book before following her friend._

_"Oh Professor~" Kirche called out._

_"Hm…?" Colbert looked up to see his approaching students. "Oh hello, can I help you?"_

_"What are you doing?" Kirche asked._

_"Ah, I finally received permission to go on an expedition for a rare and supposedly legendary artefact!" Colbert smiled, looking back down at the papers. "I've had to go through dozens of leads, but I finally got a solid lead into the location of the Dragon's Raiment!"_

_"The Dragon's Raiment, you say?" Kirche raised an eyebrow._

_"Machine… Flies like dragon. Breathes fire… Roars," Tabitha interjected._

_"Oh, you are aware of this Miss Tabitha?" Colbert asked surprised._

_"Nice story," Tabitha nodded. "Real?"_

_"I'm not sure, that's why I'm going on an expedition to find it."_

_"Oh, can we come along?" Kirche asked. "It's getting rather bored around here and there's nothing to do."_

_Colbert blinked, but then pondered the offer, "Well, I _could_ use some extra hands just in case. I could give you all extra credit for helping me if you like."_

_"Oh thank you Professor!" Kirche cooed._

_"My pleasure," Colbert smiled. "Oh, bring Mr. Gramont and Miss Montmorency too. After all, you can never have too many students helping you out."_

_"Eh?" Guiche and Montmorency looked up from their squabble._

_"Would you like to get extra credit by helping me in a little expedition?" Colbert called out._

_"Well… I suppose my grades could use the help," Montmorency nodded, but then grabbed Guiche's ear, "And this cheat could use some labor to remind him not to go cheating on me!"_

_"But Montmorency," Guiche whined. "I really _was_ off in Albion for the monarchy. Ask Sir Kurogasa! Ask Louise! Kirche and Tabitha were there too!"_

_"That's enough out of you! We will continue this discussion later!" Montmorency huffed._

_"Ohhhhh…" Guiche whined._

_"Well, now that that's settled, let's get going!" Colbert said enthusiastically._

_"Where are we headed?" Kirche asked._

_"We are headed to the village of Tarbes." Colbert said_

* * *

Siesta's parents were welcoming, but they kept their eyes trained on me the whole time and my interaction with Siesta and her siblings. Her father eyed me like I was some kind of predator, getting ready to make off with Siesta the first chance I got. Her mother eyed me like she was the predator, ready to nail me to the wedding altar once she caught sight of me showing more than just friendship to the happy maid. She certainly seemed to get more eager when I proved to be patient and accommodating to the toddlers and small children in the house.

As for the children, Siesta had four sisters and three brothers ranging from four to twelve years of age.

Siesta seemed to have been romanticizing out encounters, especially that incident with the Anansi Phantom. The girls asked me if I was a prince from a foreign country and if I was going to make their big sister a princess. The boys asked me if I really had a pet dragon and if I could do some tricks.

_**'I am not a pet!'**_ Dragon huffed in my mind.

_'Yeah, but the boys say otherwise.'_ I chuckled in my thoughts.

"So then Kurogasa…" Siesta's father said, making me tense up. "You say you're a commoner and yet you can do magic?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Magic where I come from is almost completely forgotten and it has nothing to do with social status. I was just fortunate enough to activate my magic by accident when Louise summoned me here during her Familiar Summoning Ritual."

"You were… summoned here?" He blinked in confusion.

"Through a Summoning Ritual…?" Siesta's mother added.

"Yeah, very strange, but that's how it happened." I shrugged.

"I see…" Siesta's father nodded.

"So then… how did you get your magic?" Siesta's mother asked.

"I was a Gate that fell close to despair, but held onto my hope," I replied simply.

"You were… a Gate?"

"Huh… looks like I'll have to explain the long version of it." I sighed.

So as the family took seats I decided to explain, "A Gate is a general reference to someone who has the potential for magic. It can also apply to people who already can use magic, but in a different method to mine. Now magic in such a raw state is tricky. If a person falls into despair, the deepest darkest pit of it imaginable, their despair will mix with their magic to create a magical entity called a Phantom," The family 'ooohed' at the description. "Now having a Phantom is deadly because once it manifests, it will want to break out. If it does, it will be capable of taking your identity and will go to try and make more Gates fall into despair."

"How awful…! And such a monster wanted to do this to Siesta?!" her mother gasped.

"Yes, but I destroyed it," I nodded.

"How?" asked one of her brothers.

"Well, that comes to my case," I answered. "You see, once the Phantom is born if you can pull yourself out of that hole of despair then you can trap the Phantom inside of the memory of your hope. There, with the proper equipment, you can draw on its power to cast magic through special gemstones like mine. I don't have to memorize spells or channel magic consciously. The special materials of my belt and rings do it for me. I draw my natural mana through my Phantom to power my spells."

"Can we see it?" One of Siesta's sisters asked excitedly.

"Yeah, please?" One of the brothers asked.

"I wanna see! I wanna see!"

Well, one or two couldn't hurt. I responded, "Sure."

I fitted on one of my Plamonster rings and gave it a swipe.

**GARUDA! PLEASE!**

At that point, the red tray appeared and the pieces assembled to make Garuda and I slipped the ring in, making him chirp to life.

"UWAAH!" the children gasped in delight.

"And I got three more I can introduce you to." I said before taking out the other PlaMonster Rings and scanned them.

**UNICORN! PLEASE!**

**KRAKEN! PLEASE!**

**GOLEM! PLEASE!**

My three remaining PlaMonsters landed on the table and I brought them to life. The children went into transports of delight over them, wanting to get in close to see what they would do. Unicorn and Kraken were fine with the attention, but Golem squeaked in fright and ran for it. He jumped right off the table and ran over to Siesta's mother and promptly hid under her skirt.

"Oh dear!" the woman gasped.

"He's a little shy," I winced. "I guess it was too many new people for him to feel comfortable."

"I… see…" She said, as Golem poked its head out shyly, but went back in.

The kids didn't seem to mind as they paid attention to my remaining PlaMonsters, utterly amazed by seeing them, move. The three were even making a small performance out of it all to entertain everyone.

"Can we see you in the shiny armor next?!" One of the kids asked me.

I laughed lightly, "How about I save that for a special occasion?"

The kids begged, "Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

"You won't win this battle Kurogasa," Siesta giggled.

"I had a feeling I wouldn't." I chuckled. "Alright kids, you win." I stood up and gestured for the kids to follow me. I didn't want to cause any chaos inside with my transformation. Once a short distance from the house, I activated my Driver.

**DRIVER ON! PLEASE!**

The WizarDriver materialized around my waist and kids oohed and ahhed at it.

"Well, this should be interesting." Siesta's mother said as she, her husband, Louise, and Siesta watched from outside the door.

"Hmmm…" Siesta's father pondered.

I placed my Flame Style Ring on my finger before saying, "Don't blink." and switched the Hand Author to my left.

**SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!**

The WizarDriver repeated the song as I flipped the visor down on my Flame Style Ring. I then shouted, "Henshin!" and scanned the ring on the belt.

**FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!**

My magic circle adorned me in the armor of my Rider form with a flash of flames. The kids were all wide-eyed and gasping over the use of my magic.

"Oh my…" Siesta's mother gasped wide eyed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Oooooooooh!" the children let out at once. Siesta, she was beaming like she had just gotten a prize of some kind.

"Well I'll be…" Siesta's father said in disbelief.

"Isn't it amazing?" Siesta beamed.

"Yeah, he is…" Louise added.

All I know, is that the kids are gonna be really rowdy for most of the day.

* * *

_"Ughhhhhh… how much longer…?" Kirche groaned. Professor Colbert was driving the wagon with the horses pulling while Kirche, Tabitha, Montmorency, and Guiche sat in the wagon._

_"Not far," Colbert replied. "Tarbes isn't very far out so provided the excavation does not take long, we can be there and back within a day!"_

_"Oh this extra credit better be worth it…" Kirche pouted._

_"You need all the help you can get since you can't flirt your way out of a failing grade," Montmorency huffed._

_"Quiet… too noisy…" Tabitha muttered._

_"Zzzzzzzzz," Guiche had fallen asleep._

_"Mmmmmmmmm…" Kirche and Montmorency pouted._

_"Not to worry you four. We'll be in Tarbes very soon." Colbert assured._

* * *

Oh man… I thought I'd never get those kids to take a nap. It was all like they were on a sugar high, and worse they enjoyed poking at my suit asking questions about it. I thought they would never settle down. Fortunately they all settled down, but by then I was ready for a nap myself. "Oh man. What a day…" I sighed heavily as I plopped down on the bed in my guest room.

"How can children hop around so much?" Louise groaned, following me.

"You were probably like that too when _you_ were a kid." I said.

"I wish," Louise huffed.

I winced a bit at that. That's right… noble kids don't get that luxury of running around and playing with other kids. They had nannies and toys, but more often than not once they were old enough to understand it, they were put through lessons so they could be 'proper' nobles.

"Sorry…" I apologized.

Louise waved me off. She knew I didn't mean anything by what I said.

It was a silent for a while before I said, "So… how are you feeling now?"

"Tired, but… relaxed," Louise admitted.

"That's good to hear." I smiled slightly. "At least it got your mind off of things."

"Yes. This place is surprisingly nice," Louise nodded. "I am surprised no other nobles pass through."

"Well, it _is_ a simple village." I said. "They enjoy the peaceful times and live life as best as they could whether it's from good or bad times."

Nobles really wouldn't bother with the place, save for making sure the taxes are paid on time. If one was cynical, it may be considered why the village was so peaceful. With so few nobles running around, the people could relax and work on making a life for themselves instead of kissing someone's butt and worry about everything being taken away on a whim.

"I suppose that's true." Louise shrugged. It was silent for a bit before she said, "Hey… Kurogasa…?"

"Yes?"

"I… want to thank you…"

"Huh? For what, Louise?" I asked confused.

"For…" Louise began. "For looking out for me… for being so patient… for just… being my friend when not many would."

"It's no problem." I smiled gently. "Besides, we've been friends the moment I fell into despair and you gave me hope."

"Mm," Louise smiled.

Then all of a sudden, she sat next to me and leaned in close to me. "Louise?" I asked with wide eyes before she planted a kiss to my cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Uh… you're welcome…" I blushed.

Dang it, why do tsundere girls have to be so cute?!

A thumping sound like footsteps came up from behind before the door opened, revealing Siesta in a nightgown, "Kurogasa, my siblings want you to tell them a story!"

"WAH!" Louise and I shouted, jumping in surprise.

"Did I interrupt something?" Siesta blinked innocently.

Yes you did. …is what I would've said, but what came out of my mouth was, "Uh… no…"

"Excellent!" Siesta smiled. "My siblings want to hear about the story of how you saved me from that spider Phantom. Would you please tell them?"

"Didn't _you_ already tell the story?" I sweat dropped.

"Well, yes, but they want to hear it from your side of the story," Siesta nodded. "You saw my Underworld and fought the Phantom in there didn't you?"

"That's right." I nodded.

"Then won't you tell them? Please?" asked Siesta sweetly.

"Well…" I said, thinking about it. "I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Excellent!"

Something tells me this is gonna be an all–nighter on this one…

* * *

The next had come by and I yawned loudly, sitting up on my bed to stretch out and loosen up. The sun was barely coming up and I just wanted to lie down and sleep some more. But I had a polite obligation to at least offer to help with the morning breakfast chores. So straightening myself out, I got changed into my clothes. I looked to my left, seeing Louise sleeping on another bed, with a peaceful look and smile on her face.

Coming to Tarbes was a good idea. No noble pressures and a friendly family who wanted to befriend her. It was a good vacation which she really needed. I smiled gently at her sleeping form before quietly leaving the room.

I headed to the kitchen and dining area where Siesta and her parents were already awake and preparing breakfast for the children.

"Oh good morning, Kurogasa," Siesta smiled.

"Morning," I waved. "Need help?"

"Sure," Siesta said. "If you don't mind, can you please get chicken eggs from the coop?"

"Sure," I nodded, turning to head for the door. Getting eggs from chickens… How hard could it be?

* * *

*PECK, PECK, PECK, PECK, PECK, PECK, PECK, PECK, PECK*

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

It's much harder than I thought. Those birds were protective of their eggs even if nothing was going to come out of them!

"Sheesh… Why does everything have to be the hard way?" I groaned.

So after getting my hands mauled by angry chickens, I managed to bring the basket back to the house where the missus of the household was getting ready to use them in that day's breakfast.

"It's not easy huh?" Siesta's mother smirked.

"I don't want to be reminded…" I muttered.

"Good job Kurogasa!" Siesta complimented. "I dropped several eggs when I first tried when I was little!"

"Uh… beginner's luck, I guess…" I laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

"Well I'll take these off your hands and get started for breakfast," Siesta's mother smiled, taking the eggs from me. "Siesta, maybe you can wake up Miss Louise and you can get ready."

"Yes Mother." Siesta smiled before going in the house.

"Is there anything else?" I asked.

"No, that's it. Come on in, and we'll cook you a nice breakfast."

I happily complied, sitting down at the table to wait. I needed some good food after that war in the chicken coop.

After a while, Louise and kids were up and did their morning routine of whatever they had to do before they came to the kitchen for breakfast. "Alright you all dig in! You can't start the day on an empty stomach." Siesta's mother smiled before she gave us the breakfast. However what I saw was a bowl of… rice… eggs… and chicken?! No way… This is Oyakodon!"

I said as much, "Oyakodon?"

"Oh?" Siesta's mother blinked. She and her husband stopped in shock. "How did you know the name of my father's special dish?"

"This dish…" I said stunned. No… that's not possible. There's no _way_ these people have ever heard of Oyakodon, it's impossible.

"Kurogasa?" asked Siesta. "You know the name of Grandpa's favorite dish?"

"Uh…" I blinked. This doesn't make sense. Why would they serve me Oyakodon? Just as I was about to answer, there was a knock on the door.

"Now who could that be?" asked Siesta's mother. Reaching the door, she opened it and from where we were, I could see a familiar man with dark robes and a bald head with glasses.

"Ah, pardon my intrusion," Professor Colbert smiled.

"Professor Colbert?" Louise and I asked a bit surprised.

"Oh, Mr. Kururugi and Miss Vallière…?" Colbert looked over the missus' shoulder. "Oh, fancy meeting you all here."

"WHAT? DARLING IS HERE?!"

Oh no…

There she was. Slipping past Siesta's mother was Kirche as she took a flying leap at me. She managed to get some good hang time before she crashed into me, assets first and put us both onto the floor.

"OHO! OW!" I cried out in pain.

"Oooooh!" the children saw the leap and tackle as amazing, but then funny as the broke out in giggles.

"Oh, I missed you so much darling! It was so boring back at the Academy when you weren't around!" Kirche cooed, hugging me tight.

"Kirche… choking… can't breathe… need air…!" I wheezed.

"GET OFF OF KUROGASA THIS INSTANT ZERBST!" Louise demanded with a shriek.

"Oh?" Kirche looked up. "Louise is here too?"

"Good grief Kirche, control yourself,"

"This whole trip better be worth it…"

"Troublesome…"

Huh? Montmorency, Guiche, and Tabitha are here too? What the heck were they all doing here? My mouth uttered the same words, "What the heck are you all doing here?" I managed to get out.

"Oh, some side project the professor wanted," Kirche waved off. "So how about we go off and enjoy the relaxing countryside Darling?"

"I _was _enjoying the relax countryside… until _you_ came along…" I muttered. "Now get off of me!" Kirche seemed to get the message and got up. I was left grumbling as I got up, rubbing my head. I thought we left the Academy to get away from this sort of thing!

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, but perhaps we can all discuss what I'm here for at breakfast?" Professor Colbert said sheepishly.

"Sure… I'd like to know." I grumbled.

* * *

"The Dragon's Raiment?" Louise and I asked confused.

"Yes," Colbert nodded. "I've been researching the legends and believe I have tracked it down to somewhere in Tarbes."

"It's out of the question!" Siesta's father shouted, standing up, slamming his hands on the table, making it shake. "I'm not handing over our family's heirloom!"

Colbert blinked, "Y–You know where it is? You have possession of it?!"

Siesta's father flinched and covered his mouth.

"Oh dear…" Siesta's mother sighed face palming. "Watch what you say next time…"

Colbert looked ready to lunge and get to his knees, "Please! Please let me research it! There's so much we could learn from it!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

Colbert looked like a kicked puppy.

"Is this Dragon's Raiment really that legendary?" I asked.

"Of course it is!" Siesta's father insisted. "My darling wife's father flew through the air on it and put this town on the map! If the magic in the machine didn't run out, he could have gone on to become even more famous!"

"Wait, it's a machine?!" I gawked. "And it flies?!"

"Yes, amazing isn't it?" Siesta's father grinned. "Who would have even imagined such a thing?!"

I looked a bit stunned as I looked down, looking left to right on the floor, thinking about something while I was in this world and putting the pieces together. Siesta's facial appearance, the Oyakodon, and finally this Dragon's Raiment… could it be that–

"Kurogasa?" Montmorency asked a bit concerned.

"Are you alright?" Guiche questioned.

"Sir…" I said looking up, and being serious, "If it's alright, can I look at it? I need to confirm something."

I fully expected him to deny me, but instead he just grinned, "Anything for my future son–in–law!"

I blinked, "Huh?"

"Daddy!" Siesta cried. "You weren't supposed to tell him that yet!"

"Dear. You just can't keep a secret can you?" Siesta's mother frowned with her hands on her hips.

"I can't help it." Siesta's father grinned sheepishly.

"Anyways, do you have a map of where it is?" I asked.

"Well sure," he nodded. "Father–in–law hid it out in the mountains after some stuffy noble tried to demand it as some kind of prize."

"Can you go get it please?"

"Sure, I'll be right back."

* * *

A while later, Siesta's father gave me the map and after breakfast, Louise and I along with Siesta, Professor Colbert, Kirche, Tabitha, Montmorency, and Guiche set out on our journey to find this Dragon's Raiment. It was hidden up in the hills which were deep in forests. We'd have to go through a cave to get to a certain valley which housed the Dragon's Raiment.

"Are you sure this is the right way to get to this Dragon's Raiment?" Guiche asked.

"According to the map, it is," I nodded, reading over the parchment. "Unless Siesta's family moved it and forgot to mention it."

"No, we didn't move it." Siesta shook her head.

"Darling, I'm tired!" Kirche whined. "Carry me!"

"No." I frowned.

"Stay tough…" Tabitha encouraged her friend.

"Easier said than done…" Kirche pouted.

"Well get used to it Zerbst!" Louise snapped.

We traversed the cavern easily enough, although we almost got turned around when we lost the light for a moment. We managed to get back out into the forests of the valley. So we continued trekking from there.

"Just a little farther according to this," I reported.

"What's that over there?" Montmorency asked, pointing at a direction. I looked up, spying a wooden shed which was pretty big for a hillside retreat.

"That must be it!" Professor Colbert said excitedly, and dashed over to the wooden shed.

"Oi, Professor, wait up!" I shouted, running after him.

The rest of the Academy students followed me and we all managed to catch up with Professor Colbert. We all stood at a very large wooden door, which was pretty huge for a wooden shed. This Dragon Raiment's must be big in order to put it in this wooden shed.

"Hm," Colbert pondered, looking at the lock. It seemed pristine, "Someone must have placed preservation charms on the building and what's inside. This is good! Whatever is inside won't be damaged by time!"

"Preservation charms?" I asked confused as I took a little closer at what he was talking about and suddenly…

I froze.

My eyes were widened in shock. The slips of paper that were on the door… these were… sutras! These kinds of sutras were used by monks during the Feudal Era!

"Oh, you noticed Grandfather's papers?" asked Siesta, seeing me stare at them. "He said they were supposed to ward off evil, but we never understood how that was supposed to work. He was kind of funny that way."

"Not funny," I shook my head. "Religious."

"Religious?" Siesta asked.

"Look here…" Tabitha said, as she stood in front of what appeared to be a tombstone.

I looked over and paled further, it was a memorial stone crafted to the Shinto religion with a name crafted on the surface. "No way…"

"What is it?" Louise asked coming over to me. "It's some form of strange writing."

I slowly walked over to the tombstone and knelt on one knee touching the engraving on the surface.

"Here lies Navy Ensign Takeo Sasaki… he who sleeps from an unknown land…" My voice quivered with shock and surprise.

Siesta gasped quite loudly, "H–How are you able to read that?! No one has been able to read that except Mother and Father and Grandfather taught them!"

"It's because this is Japanese," I replied, feeling like I might hurl. Not from illness, but from the mind–numbing shock I was looking at. "This man… This man came from my country. He came from my world! Heck, he served in our country's navy! Of _course_ I can read it! He's a countryman to me!"

"What?!" Everyone but Professor Colbert, who was still too preoccupied with trying to open the door, gasped.

"Aha! Here's the lock." Professor Colbert said. And with a wave of his staff…

*KACHINK!*

"I got it!"

The doors creaked open and we entered to see what was inside. Entering, I gaped and my knees went wobbly. Inside wasn't some kind of dragon or magical machine…

…it was a WWII Zero Fighter!

It was a dark green with yellow on the wings. Red circles decorated the wings and near the tail, marking it as a Japanese plane. The cockpit was canopied and twin machine guns were mounted on either wing.

"No way…" I trembled slowly walking up to it. "It can't be… It's a Zero Fighter!"

"You know what this is?" asked Louise.

"It's a war machine!" I cried. "We used it during the last major war my country got involved in! How the heck, did one end up here in this world!"

"A war machine?" Colbert gulped.

"Yes…" I muttered. "This airplane was used more than 70 years ago. Back in its day… it was considered the most feared fighter to anyone who dared cross its path during the second World War…"

"A WORLD WAR?!" Everyone asked shocked.

"Well, we called it that since almost all of the major powers in the world were involved in some way or another," I shrugged. "My country got whipped by a bomb so powerful we had to back out. We were lucky we didn't get worse. That alone was bad enough."

Rest in peace… victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki…

"Oh my…" Louise gasped.

"This World War you speak of… how much damage did it affect your country?" Colbert asked.

"Too much…" I grimaced, gritting my teeth. "As I said, my country was hit by a powerful bomb that we have to back out. In actuality, two powerful bombs hit my country. One in a city called Hiroshima and another called Nagasaki. Almost 250,000 lives were lost in those bombings…"

"Dear Founder!" Guiche gasped. "That's got to be the same population as Tristain or even more!"

"Yeah… those bombings led to my country surrendering thus ending the World War." I said.

"And they used these to fight it?" asked Kirche.

"Flew through the air and fought in the skies," I nodded. "Sometimes planes such as this would fly into enemy ships to damage them at the cost of the pilot committing suicide in the process. My countrymen call that kamikaze."

"Such a waste…" Colbert grimaced.

"I knew there was something familiar about you Siesta, when I first met you." I said.

"Huh?" Siesta blinked.

"It makes sense now," I explained. "So far you've been the only person I've met who has eastern–like features aside from the rest of your family. It also explains you were a Gate. Your bloodline comes from my country where magic can come from anyone, not just noble bloodlines."

"Is that true?" Siesta asked.

"Yes. Your grandfather and I come from the same country, Japan, and from the same world." I said. "For some unexplained reason, your grandfather who was a World War II Navy Ensign of the Japanese Imperial Navy came to this world."

Siesta's eyes widened before she seemed to ponder something, "People… People said that Grandpa just appeared one day during an eclipse. There was a second Dragon's Raiment with him… but after they flew around, they flew back for the eclipse. One vanished, but the eclipse ended before Grandpa's could pass through. He flew around for a while and then landed."

"The plane must have run out of fuel after flying for so long," I said.

"Fuel?" Montmorency asked confused.

"Magic is little more than a fairy tale back home," I explained. "So no one relies on it. It's practically extinct. So what the majority of people do is rely on science and use machines instead. They can't run by themselves, so they use something to get the mechanics going. We call it fuel generally, although there are different kinds for different types of machines."

"So Grandfather wasn't making stories up," Siesta nodded. I looked to her. "When people asked him to fly the machine again he said it couldn't. Lots of people just thought he was some kind of performer, making a good show. Magic items don't just run out of power."

"Wait a minute. You said your grandfather came through an eclipse right?" Louise asked.

"Yes." Siesta nodded.

"An eclipse?" I blinked.

"A special event which happens semi–regularly," Colbert nodded. "The moons align with the sun and make for a spectacular show. People who study astronomy wait eagerly for the event."

"I see." I said.

"Come to think of it…" Professor Colbert pondered. "The next eclipse is three days from now. And from what Siesta has said thus far, you could probably return home with the Dragon's Raiment!"

I froze… really?

"I can… get home?" I asked stunned.

Home… I could go home…

"Yes, you can. All you have to do is fly into the eclipse."

I almost couldn't breathe, hearing that information. Everyone looked shocked too, but Louise was affected most of all…

Right now, the important decision stands before me in the form of the Zero Fighter.

I either go home or stay…

* * *

And there you have it guys! It's possible for Kurogasa to get home! What will his decision be?! You're gonna have to find out on the season finale of Wizard of Zero! Until next time, guys!


End file.
